Flowers in the Window
by chromate
Summary: A series of YohXAnna stories, taking place after the Shaman Tournament. With slight hints of RenPirika and LysergJeanne. Chapter 8: 'Everything's gonna be alright. Be strong, believe.' It's the only thing Anna can think of when Yoh's not around.
1. Prologue: Say Goodnight

Studying is a boring thing to do, especially during exams. That's why I spend some time writing this piece of work when I wanted to have a break.

I intend this to be a series of stories that take place after the Shaman Tournament. Each story will probably be based on a song. It depends on if the lyrics could fully express what I want. The title 'Flowers in the Window' is a beautiful song by Travis. The meaning of this will be explained in later chapters.

This story is based on Say Goodnight, a song by The Click Five. As it seems I could not put the lyrics in here, I hope you would kindly read the lyrics of the song, then you may get a better understanding of the story.

Here goes the story. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King, obviously.

* * *

Prologue: Say Goodnight.

'This is it.

'It's for the good…he doesn't need me anymore…'

Does he?

'Not a doubt.'

_Then why are you asking yourself?_

'Maybe I've finally gone crazy, for the sake of the world?'

_Oh girl, be smart, don't be a retard._

'Why will he need me anyway? He has won. We're done. It's that simple.'

_Teenagers these days. So stubborn that love blinds them._

'WE are not lovers. That's a certainty. I don't even know why I am talking to myself.'

Anna blinked. Trying her best to concentrate and stop arguing with herself, she packed her things in her room. There weren't much anyway. She looked at herself in the mirror. All she could see was a pathetic girl with no beauty, no emotions. The short blonde hair covered her eyes but she didn't really care. Finally finished with packing, she sat on her bed, looking around the room. She didn't know why she wanted to remember this place when she knew she had to leave.

_What if he loves you back? _

'That, is certainly impossible.'

_Why will that_ _be?_

'He deserves someone better, someone who can make him smile, as always, not a bitch who only brings him pain and suffering.'

Anna couldn't help but smile sincerely when an image of Yoh grinning at her popped into her mind.

_See? You miss him girl. _

Shaking her head furiously, Anna stood.

'What is decided is decided.'

* * *

'CHEERS!' Loud yells could be heard in the living room. Everyone was having a good time. After all, Yoh had defeated Hao, and was crowned as Shaman King. Even though he needed to start to fulfill his duty when he turned 18 (which will only be a year later), Yoh couldn't help but grinned. He had succeeded. He had achieved his and Anna's dream. He had fulfilled the family's expectations. Now he could live a normal life with no more nonsensical fighting. He could hang out with friends as he always wished.

His friends decided to throw a party at the Inn. Surprisingly, Anna agreed. He looked around the room. Ren was having an argument with HoroHoro again after Pirika kissed Ren on the cheek. Faust was cuddling with Eliza, as usual. Ryu was busy flirting with girls that he didn't recognize. Lyserg and the rest of X-Laws were also enjoying their time, busy talking and drinking. Chocolove tried to make a joke but got pinned on a tree immediately. Tamao was trying to comfort him. Everything seemed fine.

Then he noticed someone missing in the room. 'Where is Anna?' He asked his short friend, Manta. 'No idea, probably in her own room. You know Anna-san doesn't like noises.' 'Sou ka…maybe I should check on her.' Yoh responded and left the noisy room to see his fiancée.

He smirked at his thought._ So finally Anna and I are going to get married soon…if I hadn't survived through her tense training programmes I probably won't even capture the title of Shaman King. _Yoh started to think hard, shifting his attention to another person, holding his necklace. _Matamune…I'll see you soon. If it ain't for you I wouldn't have understood Anna and probably wouldn't…love her._

_Love is the meeting and separation, right? You and I separate so that I meet Anna. Was this fate? I have no idea. _

'Anna, can I come in?' Yoh knocked on her door.

No response.

'Anna?' Yoh knocked for a few more times. Still no response. 'Maybe she's fallen asleep…' He quietly opened the door to have a peek at the room. He suddenly had a strange feeling. _How come I cannot sense her presence…_ 'Anna?' He called again, only to find that the room was empty. The bed was empty. The wardrobe was empty. The floor was empty.

Yoh's eyes widened in shock. _Has Anna left_? He noticed a piece of paper on her desk and, without hesitation, grabbed the paper and start to read.

* * *

The gang was startled when they heard a loud scream of 'ANNA!' followed by rushing sounds of footsteps from stairs to corridor, passing the living room without a stare, banging of closed doors. They were then greeted by silence

What the hell was going on?

'Yoh!' HoroHoro and Ryu were worried about their shaman friend and chased after him. Ren glanced at the people in the room, studying their faces, noticing Yoh and Anna had been the only two absentees. Then he started to approach Anna's room, after hearing Manta said that Yoh had gone to check on her.

He was surprised to find nothing but a sheet of paper in the girl's room. He studied it carefully.

_Dear Yoh,_

_Congratulations on being crowned as Shaman King. Surely you have not disappointed me, your friends and you family who have great expectations on you._

_I'm writing this letter because…I'm leaving. Do you know Yoh? The engagement between you and me is just a fake. Kino-sensei wanted someone to discipline her lazy grandson, so I was given the task to train you. I have, always, been just your trainer. Proclaiming to be your fiancée was just to force you to get along with me, especially we all know you won't disobey your grandmother's order. _

_It's always Asakura Yoh and Kyoyama Anna, two separate people. They are never engaged couples. They are not going to get married some days from now. There are absolutely no relationships between these two people. My task here is accomplished. You don't need me anymore. As the Shaman King, you are already strong enough to withstand any other obstacles in life. _

_I bet you are overjoyed now. The cold-hearted emotionless bitch who doesn't give a damn about anyone is finally out of your life forever. Your friends should be congratulating you by the moment. Who wants to marry Ice Queen Anna anyway? She cares about no one. She hides herself. She treats you like crap. Kyoyama Anna is just a curse to you, and now the curse is removed._

_It's really been a long time since we've met, ne? I won't forget the night you saved me from oh-oni and the sacrifice of Matamune. I, sincerely, thank you for bringing my suffering to an end. I'm also glad you have fulfilled your promise to become Shaman King. I know you will not take back you words._

_I should stop now. Good night, Shaman King. Enjoy your life._

_Love,_

_Anna_

Ah, he sighed, quite understanding his friend's reaction now. He handed the letter to Pirika and Tamao, who were standing outside Anna's room while Ren read the letter. He told everyone about what happened in the living room, and many had decided it's the time to leave. Only some of their close friends stayed.

Jeanne sighed and prayed. She really hoped Yoh could find Anna.

* * *

The young itako looked at the clock. 9 pm. Her train would arrive in half an hour. Her last thirty minute in this city. She sighed, sitting on a bench.

She slowly took out a picture from her pocket. It was taken after Yoh defeated Hao.

_/Flashback/_

_Everyone was gathering outside Patch café. _

'_Come on Anna, just one picture.' Yoh grinned widely, as usual._

'_No.' Stern reply, as always._

'_Please? Anna, just one picture will be fine.' Yoh was begging her with a really cute face._

'…_fine, but just this one.' Anna then proceeded to stand beside him. Yoh just grinned and put an arm around her shoulder. She blushed at the sudden physical contact, and noticed Yoh was blushing too. They looked into each other's eyes, trying to decipher other's thoughts. As if time has stopped…_

_FLASH_

_The camera captured the scene, and everybody was stunned to see that in the picture Yoh was not grinning and Anna was not staring. _

_Instead, they found them looking at each other with crimson cheeks. It could be photo of the year._

_/End of flashback/_

It was the only proper picture that had both her and Yoh in it.

_Aw darling, you are missing him already._

'Shut up.'

_Admit it girl, you can't live without him._

'I…really can't.'

_Then why give up?_

'He deserves someone better.'

_He put an arm around you! Doesn't that mean anything?_

'It was just heat of the moment.'

_Stubborn girl._

Anna glared at the clock. When would the damn train arrive?

* * *

Yoh was panting hard.

He kept on running and running. Never had he realized the train station was that far away. Yeah, the train station. That's the only place Anna could be now if she ran away. She could only go back to Aomori, where his grandparents live. 'Why did Anna want to leave?' This unspoken question was haunting him throughout his way to the station.

He noticed the posters and lights. He had arrived at his destination.

Without a glimpse at other people, he purchased a ticket as quickly as possible and entered. He basically jumped through the stairs, ignoring stares he got from other people.

He found a blonde figure sitting on the bench, holding and staring at a photo with a suitcase by her side.

There she was.

'ANNA!'

* * *

Still five minutes to go.

Anna sighed.

She just realized she had spent the last twenty-five minutes looking at Yoh's face in the picture. He had matured a bit over the years but the childish grin and behavior hadn't changed at all. That carefree grin which melted her heart…Anna blushed furiously. _I am being stupid again. _She mentally cursed herself.

'ANNA!'

She blinked.

She knew that voice too well.

_Could it be…_

'Yoh?' She was dumbfounded to find her ex-fiancee standing metres away from her, his palms grabbing his knees, panting hard. The blonde beheld that his body was all wet. _Did he just run from the Inn to here?_ Her eyes widened.

Yoh walked towards her, who had stood up now. 'What are you doing in here?' She tried to sound stern and cold.

'Nah…the question is, Anna, what are YOU doing in here?'

'Did you read my letter?' She kept a poker face.

'I did.'

'Then I think I have given you a pretty reasonable explanation already. There is no relationship between us, so why are YOU here?' She demanded, yet quite overjoyed due to his presence.

'Are you running away, Anna?'

'What?'

'Are you running away from me?' His trademark grin was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he wore a grave expression, looking at her sternly.

'What…what are you talking about?' She turned her back to him. _Damn right I am_, how she wanted to yell.

'Anna…'

'What are you doing in here? You should be enjoying your party. Your friends held it just for you.'

'Have you planned on leaving today before? Is that why you don't mind lending the Inn to them? You would have objected to that idea normally.'

She sighed hard. This was going to be a long night.

'As I have stated, I am not your fiancée, which means the Inn does not belong to me. Is it that hard to understand such simple words?'

He did not mutter a word after she finished. Just when Anna was going to turn and face him again, to slap him, scold him for being stupid and send him back to his friends…

'Do you love me Anna?'

'WHAT?' Wow, that was unexpected. She could feel the heat rising from her cheeks.

'Do you have any feelings for me?'

'I…' she could not find a word to express herself. Heck, she had decided to leave! What was she doing, arguing with somebody who had just become anonymous in her life?

'You should go home.' She replied as calmly as she could. 'A Shaman King should not stand in the middle of train station talking nonsense. Go home Yoh.'

'Come with me.' His voice filled with hope.

_Damn_, she mentally cursed. But now she was mad. Damn mad.

'WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?' She yelled at him, turning to face him directly. He was taken aback and stepped back a step. 'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TRYING TO DO, ASAKURA YOH?

'WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO COME? WHY DO YOU WANT SOME BITCH WHO DOES NOTHING BUT TO SLAP AND YELL AT YOU, TREATING YOU LIKE CRAP? WHY DO YOU CARE FOR SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T CARE ABOUT YOU AT ALL?'

She breathed hard, disregarding the attention drawn. Many people were looking at them in awe.

Asakura Yoh, however, just looked at the floor the whole time. He suddenly lifted his head.

With a smile.

'Liar.'

She was dumbfounded. _Liar, he called me?_

'Don't say,' he started to approach her, 'that you don't care about me, Anna.'

'If you don't care, why did you scream my name when I was attacked by an oni, back at Aomori, when we were ten?'

One point to Yoh.

'If you don't care, why did you cry when I was nearly killed by Hao?'

He was now standing in front of him. She dared not to look into his eyes. She all of a sudden found his scandals quite an interesting thing to look at.

'If you don't care…' his hand reached for her cheek, caressing it gently.

'Why did you sleep beside me the night before I left for America?'

Anna was speechless.

The train had just arrived at the station. Doors were opening for people to enter.

'Anna…' now it was Yoh's turn to blush, 'you may not realize this, but I…I do love you, and if the engagement does not exist at all, I would be more than happy to make one.'

How she hoped time could freeze at that moment. She now completely forgot about boarding the train. All her brain could generate was Yoh's confession.

'I bought this one yesterday, and I planned to give you as an engagement gift, as we never really had one.' He smirked, holding a silver locket.

'See it here?' He pointed at the locket. She could clearly see the word 'Yoh & Anna' carved on it.

Her eyes widened in shock.

'Em…shall I?' Nodding timidly, she allowed Yoh to put the necklace around her neck. 'You look…great on that.' Yoh flushed. Anna lowered her head.

'Why Yoh…why are you doing this…

'Why do you love me, out of all people? Why do you love me, who brings nothing but pain and suffering to you?'

Yoh looked startled, then smiled, decided to surprise Anna.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to his body. Anna could feel her cheeks boiling. Her eyes softened, her heart melting at the warmth.

'I love you Anna. If you haven't slapped or trained me that hard, would I still be crowned as the Shaman King?

'And I know of your past, that's why you remain strong in front of others.

'And you remember the night I asked you out to go to temple with me…when we were separated by the thin door?'

Of course she remembered. The door became a perfect barrier to separate them after she heard his thought of…

'_I think you're cute and… maybe it's love at first sight…'_

'My feeling has not changed a bit since then. She looked up, facing him. He smiled warmly.

Anna couldn't stay calm anymore. For once, she let her façade broke down completely in front of him. She rested her head on his shoulder, sobbing silently.

'I…I thought you don't need me after the tournament. It will break…my heart to see you…enjoying yourself while hanging with other girls…so I decided to leave…before that happens.'

Yoh was combing her short hair gently with his fingers. He tightened the embrace, feeling her body touching his.

'I do need you Anna. I need you…'

The train was leaving the station.

* * *

Ryu and HoroHoro, finally after being led by Amidamaru, arrived at the station. There weren't much people left, so they spotted Yoh easily. He was sitting on the bench, with eyes closed.

'Hey Yoh, where's…' He paused after seeing Yoh signaled him to be quiet. Then the ainu found Anna's head was leaning on Yoh's shoulder, sleeping peacefully.

'I thought she left,' he hissed.

Yoh just grinned.

'HoroHoro, do you mind taking Anna's suitcase for me?' he pointed at the blue object next to him. 'I need to carry Anna home, and I don't want to wake her up.' The shaman then slowly stood up, carrying the blonde in his arms, like a bridegroom carrying his bride.

Ryu and HoroHoro blinked when they saw Yoh placed a small kiss on his fiancée's forehead and left.

'Wow, I never thought they went that far already. Yoh should be grateful Anna was asleep, or else…' They didn't dare to imagine what would have happened.

Yoh just smiled.

-The End-

* * *

I know it may sound more optimistic than the song itself, but mostly it's because I want a happy ending for my favourite pairing. Cheers XD.

I'll try to write more about their lives after the tournament, which mean…school life! Yeah, sounds boring I know…just give me a chance.

Remember, reviews are always welcome, at any time. =D


	2. Chapter 1: She's Just the Girl

Background music: Just the Girl, by The Click Five.

Chapter 1: She's just the girl

_-Miracles happen every day at anytime. It only matters if you have noticed its presence._

Lyserg was sipping his tea, his free arm wrapped around Jeanne's shoulder. Together the two enjoy the morning view from the Inn. Everything seemed so lively and peaceful. Jeanne leaned on his shoulder with eyes closed, resting like an angel. The British smiled. Such a beautiful and unusually calm morning, what more could he ask for?

'ASAKURA YOH, WAKE UP THIS INSTANT! YOU'VE OVERSLPET AGAIN!'

'WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY SISTER'S ROOM, SHARK-HEAD?'

'Onee-chan, be quiet!'

'LET GO OF MY HAND, BAKA AINU!'

Jeanne giggled.

'Just five more minutes Anna…'

'DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY SISTER!'

'WHO ARE YOU TO ORDER ME AROUND?'

'STOP FIGHTING! BOTH OF YOU!'

'ASAKURA YOH!'

Lyserg sighed. Why the hell would he expect this morning to be different?

* * *

To Yoh, paying attention in class was a very difficult task to accomplish. Firstly, the Great Spirit would send him on mission when he turned eighteen, so that meant he didn't really need education from school. Secondly, he never found learning an interesting to do and had no motivations at all.

And most importantly, he was too busy staring at Anna, who sat on his right. Oh Anna…he started to daydream again. She always kept her emotions from everyone. She was so cold one would think she's not a human at all. Yoh, however, could see through the façade she wore and understand her needs. To Yoh, Anna was a beautiful white rose, a vulnerable one that needed comfort and warmth. The presence of thorns just made her even more sacred than he ever thought of.

Thorns hurt, but he wanted to pick them off for her, even it might take much time to accomplish the task.

Of course she was cruel. Kyoyama Anna was infamous for her sarcastic comments and her boldness. Yet it might be one of the reason he loved her more. She was not a ordinary schoolgirl who just dreamed to be a famous model or a super singer or actress with boys under her feet, worshipping her. Anna was special. She showed her kindness in her own way, even you could only barely notice after harsh words coming from her mouth. She was bittersweet. Yoh could only find it more adorable.

Anna, of course, knew of his staring part, yet after many attempts to get Yoh focused on the blackboard she had given up trying anymore. Silently, she admitted she enjoyed the attention she's getting from her boyfriend.

They just told their shaman friends that the engagement was not real, but Anna still stayed on Yoh's request anyhow. Nobody in the school knew of their relationship except for their housemates. She remembered Yoh had once whined about keeping their relationhip a secret, that they weren't doing anything illegal.

'I have a reputation to keep, Yoh. What will your fangirls do if they know you're dating me?' Yoh groaned. The fanclub formed by the girls in his class was really troublesome sometimes that Yoh couldn't talk to a female friend probably when they're around. Anna was the only one who was not afraid of them, and even slapped some of them when they interrupted her conversation with the shaman.

'But your fans will keep on bothering you, trying to ask you out! Pirika counted that you had rejected more than thirty boys just on our first day of school!' The itako could sense anger in his tone. 'So you are jealous?' She teased playfully.

'Damn right I am.' She raised her eyebrows, sensing her cheeks becoming warmer. Never did she expect Yoh to react in such way. 'Thank you,' she muttered, 'but I can take care of myself.'

She recalled Yoh sighing in defeat. She couldn't help but smirk at the memory.

'Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiing.'

'Ah,' Yoh thought, 'saved by the bell.' Finally school was over. His classmates had started to pack their stuff and Ren and HoroHoro had started another fight which the others did not even bother to try to stop. He looked at the blonde who was talking to Pirika and Jeanne.

'Hey Anna,' the boy asked. 'What Yoh?' She turned to look at him. Yoh blushed a bit, took a deep breath and said as calmly as he could handle.

_Keep calm, Asakura, keep calm._

'.'

The three girls blinked, and Jeanne seemed to get his message. She giggled and took Pirika's arm. 'Come on Pirika,' and without waiting for a reply, she dragged her out of the scene.

'What were you trying to say, Yoh?' Anna demanded, quite confused at her friends' behaviour.

'I was wondering…if you could…watch a movie…with me.' Yoh said, still flushing, 'as a date.' He finished his sentence. Anna looked at him, fighting to hide the crimson colour from rising to her cheeks. 'I thought we had gone through this before…' 'Yes I know. Just that…we haven't hanged out together lately…just the two of us…' Yoh scratched his hindbrain.

'Wow, he's become cornier than I thought.' Anna thought, 'and he looked so cute…' she failed to fight the blush from appearing on her cheeks. She noticed Jeanne explaining something to Pirika in the back, then both smirked at her. Confused, Anna took her bag and started to leave.

'I don't know Yoh. I don't want to disappoint your fangirls.' She glared around the room and saw some girls were drooling over Yoh. 'And I don't want them to annoy me afterwards.' She then just left the classroom.

If you try to use different colours to describe Yoh's face, it would be a mixture of red, yellow, dark blue, violet and probably pale green.

Lyserg patted Yoh's shoulder. 'Congratulations Yoh-kun.' He smiled at him. Yoh looked even more dumbfounded. 'Anna does like you a lot.' Yoh blinked. 'What do you mean? She just practically rejects me!' He almost yelled.

'It's what girls do. When a boy asks her out, if she really likes the boy, she'll try to use different excuses to turn him down and see how the boy reacts to judge whether the boy really likes her too or not.' The green-haired boy stole a gaze at Jeanne. 'You know what? The first time I asked Jeanne out, she used the same excuse Anna just did.' Yoh looked at his friend, not sure whether to kiss him or ignore him.

'She is probably waiting at the front gate now.' Lyserg continued smiling at him. 'Go.' He pushed him on the shoulder, and somehow Yoh followed his instruction without really knowing.

'Playing a matchmaker here?' he turned to face his goddess. 'Well, just giving some advice learnt from previous experience.' He grinned while caressing her cheeks.

'Your fangirls won't be happy at your action right now, Lyserg Diethel.' She smirked.

'How frightening.' He mocked, his face leaning towards hers.

* * *

Anna sighed.

Looking at her watch, she thought Yoh should not be this late, considering that she had left him just ten damn minutes ago.

She was leaning on the front gate, waiting for Yoh to come. Several girls walked by and muttered something not very nice under their breaths. She chose to ignore that. Ever since she was transferred to this school years ago girls had been questioning her relationship with a certain Asakura Yoh.

In their point of view Kyoyama Anna was never kind to Yoh. And of course, being the nice gentlemen, Yoh was kind to everyone, and many girls fell for him. They were two opposite characters. Who would imagine them being together honestly?

'My,my, why is such a beauty standing here alone?' Her gaze drifted to a male walking towards her. She recognized him as Mitch from the other class.

He was quite a tall person. He had long, black hair and wore a necklace. You could clearly see the tattoos on his left arm and detect the smell of smoke from him. He looked just average, not the very handsome kind of guy girls would keep their gazes at.

Some said he was the leader of a small group of gang in this school while some rumored he was son of a very rich family. She knew he was a playboy and had slept with many girls in her school then broke up with them once he got bored. Nevertheless, Anna had no interest in acknowledging his presence. She just ignored him.

'Wow, a cold beauty we have here.' He continued to grin evilly. 'Why don't you come with me? I can show you around the town and have some fun together.'

'Stop flattering yourself.' She stated. 'I'm waiting for someone else, and certainly you are not someone I hope to see.' She'd kill Yoh for making her wait.

'Ah, that Asakura boy, I presume?' She didn't move a bit at the mention of her ex-fiancé's name. 'I heard rumors you two lived together?' 'That's totally none of your business. Now bug off.' She kept her cruel manner at people she did not like.

'Now, now, have some manner, belle.' She glared at him. 'Just leave that moron. Come with me, and I can promise you won't be disappointed.' His hand started to reach for her cheek.

SLAP!

Others stared in awe to see Mitch got slapped. In front of everyone.

'I don't want to see you.' Anna stated icily. 'Get out of my sight.' She turned to walk towards the school again, deciding that she should find Yoh instead of wasting time with an idiot. Suddenly, she felt someone grabbed her wrist, and before she could react, she was kicked in the stomach. She moaned in pain and fell on the ground. Mitch was very furious. Of course the pain was nothing compared with the intense training she had gone through with Kino, but it still hurt as it was unexpected to her.

'Don't you dare insult me, dear.' His expression was filled with anger and embarrassment. Never in his life had he felt so humiliated. He was always the one to humiliate others, and not the other way round.

'You'll pay for what you did.' He raised his arm, ready for another strike.

Anna, on the other hand, was mad. Really mad. Kyoyama Anna would never allow someone to hit her and get away from it. She was ready to attack this moron in front of her, even if that meant using her itako power.

Suddenly, she saw a figure dashed to Mitch's back, held his arm tightly, and tackled him on the ground. The figure looked furious also, and she was startled to see who he really was.

'Yoh…' she whispered, surprised of his presence.

'What the hell do you think you're doing?' Yoh hissed at the fallen boy. He grabbed his collar, and stared murderously into his blue eyes. 'Don't you dare, I repeat, DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER EVER AGAIN! SHE'S MY GIRL, AND I WOULD ASSURE YOU YOU WOULD REGRET IT IF YOU DO!' He bellowed.

The others were stunned. Never had they seen Asakura so mad before. And did he just declare Kyoyama was his girl?

Yoh ignored the murmurs and looks directed towards him and tossed the possible gang leader on the ground forcefully. 'STAY AWAY FROM HER!' he yelled for one last time. Mitch, clearly bewared that he could not fight this boy, stood and fled.

Everything was happening so fast that it took Anna for a while to understand what had just happened. Some idiot tried to get her to bed, got slapped, and she let her guard down, resulting in receiving the attack, then Yoh came to the rescue.

'You okay, Anna?' the brunette asked. His expression was longer filled with anger, but she could see concern, kindness and…perhaps love?

Somehow everything seemed to make sense by then. The blonde rose from the ground, tidying her skirt and uniform, and began to approach Yoh.

'Your girl?' she stated blankly. She looked emotionless and Yoh could not decipher her.

Oh shit, Yoh thought. He forgot about the irrational reasons she had brainwashed him with before, that she did not want to publicize their relationship.

His friends looked amused. They had expected such kind of behavior from Yoh, but although they knew of the brunette and the blonde's connection, it still shocked them that Yoh had just let everything out so boldly.

'Anna, I…' he realized he could never win against Anna when it came to debate, so he decided to admit his defeat. 'I'm sorry…I forgot…' He closed his eyes, preparing for a slap on his cheek.

'Don't be.'

Instead, he felt a very soft, a bit wet, touch on his face. He opened his eyes, which widened when Anna was standing right in front of him, placing an innocent kiss on his cheek.

He could hear some high-pitched screams from the crowd and wolf-whistles from his classmates. He just stood there, eyes wide open, his lips slightly parted, and his mind went blank.

It was the first kiss ever he received from Anna.

'I like how it sounds, by the way.' She whispered into his ear.

Although it was not on the lips, it still made him think he could die as a happy man.

'Why are you still standing there?' He looked up to see his girl was now a few metres from him, her back facing him. She turned her head to look at him, smiling almost seductively.

'I thought you said we're going to watch a movie together.'

_Wait…this doesn't make sense…isn't she the one who does not want to publicize this?_

_Oh, to hell with it._

Others just stood and watched in awe when he grinned widely and ran to catch up with her, holding her hand tightly. He did not want to ruin the moment, especially Anna was in a good mood.

-The End-

* * *

Just the Girl is another song by The Click Five. To me it actually reflects most of Yoh's thought of Anna. She's cold and she's cruel but she knows what she's doing…BINGO!

Sorry if you find this too short or everything's happening too fast. It was written by the author before his Maths exam with a lazy mind and tired brain.

Anyways, please review. At least give me some idea what you think of this short story. Just click the little button below. Won't take you long, I promise =D.


	3. Chapter 2: Bright blessed days

Background music: What a wonderful world, by Louis Armstrong.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. Jeez everyone knows that.

Chapter 2: Bright blessed days, dark sacred nights

_-From different perspectives, you can see the world extremely ugly…or extremely beautiful_

Anna liked to look out of the window and watched people walking by.

There were four little boys kicking soccer on the street; there was a little girl walking with her mother, dancing around, smiling sincerely; there were a couple in her class walking by, both smiling at each other, hugging, snogging; there were an old man talking on a phone, yelling curses.

All these were just familiar scenes you would probably see everyday when you're walking down a street or watching some TV shows, but to Kyoyama Anna, it was one of the most wonderful thing to witness.

It was something she always had in her mind: life and love.

Life…was so short. Some people, like Yoh, would simply worry about nothing. 'Everything will be alright,' as his motto went. Some people, with aspiring thoughts, wanted to make a difference to the world, or at least, worked hard to be rich to enjoy life afterwards.

Some people, like Anna, worried about almost everything around her. She, of course, did not show a hint of concern, but she was actually extremely afraid of big changes. She still remembered the emptiness in the Inn when Yoh had gone to America to attend the Shaman Tournament, and that nearly drove her insane.

People die every day, and every day, a new life is born. It's almost like transmigration. One soul is gone from the world in order for the new one to enter.

Life seemed precious yet short. Time would not stop and wait for you.

Love…on the other hand, could last long, yet could also be short. She had seen many girls in her class broke up with some guys a few days after, and cried since first lesson until the end of a school day. She had also seen long and everlasting love, like Yoh's parents and grandparents.

That leads to another thing: family.

She had had one, but all her memories of her once family could only make her shiver. Yes, Kyoyama Anna, the cold emotionless itako, was shivering at the thought. She had only spent a mere nine years with her real family members and had not been in contact with any of them in eight years, yet the wounds still hurt.

She sometimes wondered, when she was still engaged with Yoh, that if, IF, some day they really got married, what kind of wife or mother she would have become? She herself did not have a real mother, as far as she could tell. Of course, Keiko was nice to her, and she respected her fully, but she rarely saw her due to Kino's training. Becoming a wife like Kino meant Anna had to be harsher to Yoh by ten times, and Anna would not be surprised if Yoh really hated her then.

As always, her thought would somehow end with Yoh. No matter what she was thinking about, she would link Yoh with them. Sometimes, she imagined her past was just a dream, and Yoh was the prince who would kiss her and wake her up, and the prince and the princess would live happily together forever.

Weird, since when did she believe in fairy tales?

'Anna.'

The voice of Yoh got her back to reality.

'What?' She did not turn her head, but could already feel the presence of her boyfriend leaning on the door of her room.

'Lyserg, Jeanne, HoroHoro, Tamao, Ren and Pirika are going to the festival tonight…and I was wondering if you want to join too.' The brunette replied, looking hopefully at her back.

Anna did not reply. Her gaze was still at the figures on the street.

'Fine then.'

Yoh grinned.

'You really are coming?' Pirika entered the room all of a sudden, standing next to Anna. Seeing her nod, Pirika jumped out of joy. 'Great then! Anna, you will have to choose what to wear first.' Before Anna could ask a single question, she was dragged out of the Inn. 'Girls are to wear yukata for tonight! It's shopping time!'

Yoh laughed when Anna finally became conscious, smack Pirika's head, and then walked with her to the mall along with Jeanne and Tamao.

He turned to look at Ren, HoroHoro and Lyserg, all of them were sitting in the living room. Without muttering a sound, they all stood up and left with Yoh. They also had some shopping to do.

* * *

Yoh was waiting patiently for his girlfriend in the living room.

The girls had returned shortly after the boys had also finished their shopping for clothes. Yoh looked around the room. Ren was wearing blue, accompanied by a pink Pirika. HoroHoro was wearing green, flirting with a yellow, blushing Tamao. Lyserg was wearing purple, hugging a pink Jeanne. He smiled at the scene.

He had always wanted an easy life, but what he also wanted was just peace. He hated fighting aimlessly or hurting others. Sometimes he wondered how greed and hatred could take over one's conscience. Of course, as a 'demon child' in his childhood, he understood completely the feeling of being isolated. Yet he would just smile and wished for acceptance in his heart, hoping that someday, just maybe, the others would understand and treat him as a friend, not a freak.

He heard sounds of footsteps from the stairs, and he turned, eyes widening. There stood his Anna, wearing a pink yukata with red, yellow and purple flower patterns on it. He could feel his cheeks burning, and also notice her blush.

'Wow Anna! You looked so cute!' Pirika jumped and hugged her, smirking. 'And you can see Yoh drooling over you.' She whispered into her ears, causing her to blush more furiously. Yoh looked at her, eyes not blinking for a mere second. 'Wow Anna…you look…beautiful.' He stammered, flushing. She looked at him. 'Thanks, you look handsome too.' She muttered, smiling slightly at Yoh, who wore a dark blue yukata with a black belt around his waist.

'Well,' he held out his hand, 'shall we?'

She hesitated for a while, then gently wrapped her fingers around his.

* * *

Anna had seen festivals on tv shows, but it was actually the first time for her to go to one without worries in her seventeen years of life.

People in stalls were trying their best to attract customers. It was just the same kind of things she could see on her soaps, but she felt rather excited to try them herself. She tried netting for tiny goldfish, answering riddles, and even throwing balls to get a cute doll. Yoh had won a baby polar bear doll and gave it to her. She held it firmly.

Now she was walking with Yoh, their fingers locked. Yoh had led her to a spot away from all the people, even leaving their friends behind.

'Yoh, what are we doing here?' She was obviously curious.

Yoh stopped and turned his head towards the direction of all the stalls and people. 'Look,' he pointed at them. 'Isn't this a beautiful sight? People are working hard to earn money, while the others simply have a really good time staying in here.'

She nodded as a sign of consent. Under the dark sky and numerous stars, the lights from the stalls were still shining brightly. Everyone was wearing a smile on their face.

'Indeed.' She whispered. 'Isn't this the life you always want? Everybody is happy?' Yoh nodded, grinning. Anna watched the people come and go, the children holding their parents' hands.

'Sometimes I wonder…' she turned silent, hearing the soft whisper of wind passing by them. Yoh turned to her, expression changed from childish to a graver one. 'Sometimes I wonder what my life would have become if I had not been found by Kino-sensei that night I ran away from my family.' She knelt on the ground, fingers brushing through the flowers and grasses. 'Maybe I would still be possessed by oh-oni, or I might be killed by some shaman, for good.'

Her attention shifted to the children walking by who were laughing innocently. 'If I were not abandoned, would I become like one of them? Smiling without a care of the people surrounding you? Hanging out with school girls, flirting with some boys?' She smiled bitterly at her imaginations.

'What would I have been?'

'You would still be Anna.'

Anna turned, surprised.

'I understand what you have gone through Anna, I really do.' He walked towards her, standing next to her. She rose from her position. 'And I believe everything happens for a reason, and everything in life is related. Every decision we make leads to thousands of other possible events to happen, and everything a person does affects lives of many others,' he paused, 'some selfish people only care for their own interests, while some people really care for others. That's what matter the most. Life is short, isn't it? So why shouldn't people be more generous and treasure everything and everyone we have right now? Won't that be a more wonderful world?'

Anna stared at him. Yoh seemed to have become more mature.

'Yoh,' she whispered, 'if Kino-sensei had not put us in the engagement before,' _in other words, if we never met,_ she gulped, 'what would you have been?'

This was a question she had always wanted to ask.

'I guess, then, I will live a life with regrets.'

She blinked. Did Asakura Yoh just say living with regrets?

'I do want an easy life, Anna, but there's something more that I want.'

He looked into her eyes, smiling. It was not his usual grin, but just a warm smile that he showed only in her presence. It was his special smile that Anna could never stop looking at.

'I want a life with you. That's what I want the most. Nothing can change my mind on this issue.'

Anna was stunned, pupils widened.

'Anna, I love you.' He put his hand on her chin, lifting it up, 'and I will do anything just to make you happy, just to see you smile.' He put his free arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She could feel her cheeks burning.

A loud explosion was heard from the sky. The firework display had begun.

But Anna was too busy to even turn to look at the beautiful sight. Yoh took the opportunity to lock his lips with Anna's.

It was her first kiss.

Anna felt like riding a roller coaster. Her world seemed to spin, her mind was blank, her heart was pumping as fast as it could. It seemed like eternity to her, and she came to her conscience.

She kissed him back, arms circling Yoh's waist. They kissed with love and passion. Neither wanted to stop that moment. Anna moaned when she felt Yoh's tongue tackling her lips, asking for permission. She gladly complied, and their tongues started to touch, feeling each other's presence. Finally, they broke their first kiss, both blushing, panting for the lack of oxygen. Yoh grinned at her, and she smiled back. There was no sign of sarcasm in it.

'You know Anna,' he hugged her, 'you should smile more. You look more beautiful on that.'

She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling brightly, silently crying tears of joy.

Somewhere behind the bushes, giggles could be heard.

'Mission accomplished,' hissed HoroHoro, holding a camera, smirking.

'But HoroHoro…won't Anna-san be mad if she finds out?' Tamao asked timidly, although she was laughing.

'It was Yoh who asked him to take the pictures in the first place,' grinned Lyserg. 'If there's anyone to blame, we are definitely not the victims.'

'It was so romantic…I feel jealous of Anna now…' Pirika hissed at Ren, who frowned. 'What? Are you suggesting something?' 'Well, first kiss is supposed to be romantic, like the one you have just witnessed! Instead, ours are just shared in the kitchen of the Inn when I was preparing food for dinner.' She looked away, blushing. Even the proud Tao Ren couldn't help but feel rather uncomfortable for his girlfriend to mention that in front of everyone. They just laughed madly at them as if they were clowns.

'That's enough for tonight.' Jeanne concluded. 'We should greet them now.'

They all nodded and started to reach them, pretending they had seen nothing.

* * *

The next afternoon, Anna thought of the same questions again: life and love, and Yoh.

She recalled what Yoh said yesterday night, and was in a deep thought about meaning of life again when she noticed a picture in a silver frame placed on the dining room table.

The picture consisted of two people, a boy and a girl, she could quickly recognize. Their faces were too dark to be clearly seen. They were kissing. The boy's hands were on the girl's waist and cheek, while the girl's were wrapping around the boy's waist. The colourful firework display acted as the background of the photo.

It was a beautiful photo, Anna admitted. She looked at the picture for a while, then took it to her room. She placed it on her desk, next to the silver locket Yoh had given her before. Touching the locket, she smiled.

Outside her door, Yoh grinned.

-The End

* * *

I originally intend this to focus on Yoh's perspective of an easy life, but upon writing, my mind changes, so it turns out to be their first kiss. I think it's rather sweet, don't you think so? =p

For your information, Anna loves watching children walking or playing simply because she never really had a pleasant childhood. I'll try to do more explanations on Anna's past in future chapters, about her life before she met Yoh.

And Yoh placed the photo on the table because Yoh wanted to see how Anna would react upon remembering the sweet moment. As expected, Anna smiled and he felt glad to see her smile.

Anyway, as usual, reviews are always welcome, no matter you find this good or bad, great or dull, any comments are appreciated =D


	4. Chapter 3: Acquiesce

Background music is Acquiesce of Oasis.

Chapter 3: Acquiesce

Yoh used to be a social outcast, but he hated it.

What he had learnt from his childhood was that he should never mention something like seeing spirits or talking to one. The majority of society did not accept such thinking, even spirits did exist, and he was once near to be sent to a mental hospital when he was eight.

After transferring to Shinra Private Academy, he kept his mouth shut. He talked to others about movies, music, sports but never spiritual things. He worked to earn himself a good reputation among boys and girls. It was almost impossible for them to hate someone who always smiled and cared for them when they're in need, except for some envy from male classmates. The reason was none other than his relationship with a certain blonde.

To everyone else in school Kyoyama Anna was a mystery. She was a beauty, obviously, and girls couldn't help but got jealous when she took breaths of many boys away. Her infamous cold attitude towards everyone even made her more popular among male classmates, as they secretly made a bet among themselves - 'who can talk to her for one minute without getting slapped'. Undoubtedly, no one had succeeded at all. Although she had made it very clear that she was taken, by everyone's favourite Asakura Yoh, some people just did not learn how to give up, and Anna realized she had slapped nearly half the boys in her form twice or even thrice in half a month.

Now she was sitting in the stadium of their school, watching a basketball game. It had become a routine for her on Friday, once Yoh had asked if he could play some games with his classmates after school. She didn't object to the idea, claiming 'it could be extra training for him.' It turned out to be a silent agreement that she would watch him play and wait until the match was over, then they would walk home together.

Today HoroHoro joined the game, so Pirika was with her. She didn't mind a company, especially when it was someone she could trust.

'Seriously Anna, have you really told the girls that Yoh was taken already?' Pirika exclaimed, pointing at a bunch of schoolgirls giggling and cheering for Yoh in a safe distance from Anna. Of course the young itako knew of the fan club of Yoh had in the school, set up by some high-pitched annoying freaks in her class. They were everywhere Yoh went, and she was mad those girls were the reason they could rarely share a moment of peace alone.

'You think I haven't done anything at all?' the blonde sighed. 'They even caught us kissing once on the roof, and they claimed I forced Yoh to do so.'

It was Pirika's turn to frown. 'I think I understand your situation, Ren and I faced the same problem.' Anna nodded. Like Yoh, Ren was also a popular cool guy among the female students, and if you add Lyserg into the event you could imagine the anger she, Pirika and Jeanne felt when it was recess or lunch time. Their fans would separately surround them in their seats and tried their very best to impress them.

The solutions of the three shamans were totally different. Ren, the short tempered one, would barge through the crowd and grabbed Pirika out of the scene. Lyserg, the patient one, would try to convince them he had a girlfriend, although they barely listen to this. Yoh, being the gentleman, did the worst job. He talked with them and would laugh at their jokes, which would usually result in a bigger crowd next time. Anna had complained to him once, but he just assured her that he just wanted to make some friends. Knowing his past, Anna could hardly rebuke that.

'Does Yoh even know he has a fan club?' Pirika asked while the fangirls cheered as Yoh just got a three-point shot. 'Good question,' Anna groaned, glaring impatiently at them. 'The great Asakura Yoh who could defeat any shaman in the world was always clueless when it came to girl problems.' She continued, 'I wonder how the situation will become when it is Valentine's Day. Maybe we will share a table with all of our friends. How romantic will that be.'

'Hey, don't sound so bitter. He may be stupid, but he loves you, right?'

'I do love him.' She stated. 'And I know he does love me, but that doesn't exclude the fact that we cannot share some time together in school.

'Hey, where do you and Ren spend time together after he escapes from the mobs?'

'Umm, well sometimes we just hold hands and walk together in the soccer field or sit under some trees, or find an empty class room.'

Anna raised her eyebrows.

'Not that!' the female ainu practically yelled, blushing furiously, 'we haven't done that in school yet.'

The blonde's eyes widened even more.

'ARGH DAMNIT! Just…just that we sit beside each other and talk about things. STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT!'

'Oh,' came her reply. She turned her attention away from the red tomato sitting next to her. 'Sometimes I and Yoh will find a tree and we will climb up there, resting on it. Yet nowadays it is hard to get him out of the crowd, especially when he wants to _make friends_.' She emphasized on the last two words. Pirika noticed,frowned and patted her shoulder. 'Don't worry. I'm sure Yoh only has you in his heart.'

Anna's expression softened slightly when Yoh, on the court, waved at her, signaling he would be leaving in fifteen minutes.

She smirked.

'Should he have another woman, he'll pay.'

* * *

Yoh was panting hard, sweating. Seriously, playing basketball for an hour was nothing when compared to Anna's intense inhumane training. The only reasonable explanation for his condition was that he had slackened. Sure, Anna had lightened his training since he had been crowned as Shaman King already, and Yoh seized the chance to relax when Anna's still in the mood.

He heard cheers from the stand, and he grinned when Anna looked pissed off at the girls. He might appear to be oblivious, but he was not blind. He knew of the little club set up for him, although he did not really appreciate the idea, and his cheerleaders who followed him everywhere in the school campus.

'Yoh, pass the ball,' his teammate yelled, and he quickly drew his attention back to the court for a split second. His mind, however, focused on an image of the blonde waiting patiently for him every Friday. Come to think about it, he had not asked her to, yet she was here, watching him play, laugh, have a good time. He couldn't help but wonder why she did not just go home and watch her soaps. Wasn't her favourite on air now?

'Pomb,' he heard the sound of a rebound, and jumped to get it without realizing what he really was doing, as if an automatic response. Before he knew, his shoe made an angle of sixty degrees with the floor, and his face landed on the ground. All this time, he felt nothing but only ache in his left foot.

He moaned in pain, causing the players to come to his assistance. 'Hey Yoh, are you alright?' 'Dude, you twisted your ankle?' and some other comments came into his ears, and he was taken to a bench nearby, holding his foot.

Up on the stand, his fangirls looked worried. They nearly screamed when they witnessed such horror (in their perspectives) to happen. Pirika frowned at them, and beholding their movement which indicated they wanted to leave and greet Yoh directly, she began to inform her companion. 'Anna I think you should…Anna?'

It was then she realized the blonde was gone.

* * *

'Itai…' Yoh looked at his swollen foot. His hand touched it, trying to caress it yet he could not stand the pain. 'Jees…Anna's gonna kill me for doing something this stupid to myself…'

Suddenly he felt something cold crushed on his foot. He also noticed a pair of soft hands held the cold object firmly.

'Don't move,' mistress of the hand ordered.

Yoh gulped. It was pretty hard to not be nervous when Kyoyama Anna was showing concern in her own way. Here she was, holding a bag of ice on his wound, kneeling in front of him. He could hear some wolf-whistles from his friends and couldn't help but blush. Anna glared coldly at them, and they shut up immediately. Yoh learnt from experience that Anna was a very emotional girl, meaning her emotions could change quickly in seconds.

'Feeling better?' she asked plainly.

Yoh just nodded.

'Good, now hold it yourself.' She took his hand and made it replaced her previous position. She rose and sat next to him.

'You are stupid,' she snorted, 'haven't I told you to pay more attention to your surroundings no matter what you are doing? If this is a shaman fight, you'll be dead in a minute.'

Yoh stared at her for a moment, then just grinned sheepishly. Anna glared.

'You must be fine to grin like an idiot.' She stood up. 'Get up, we're going home.'

The male shaman tried to stand on one foot, and, trying his best to keep his balance, stand on both with uneasiness. Anna took notice of that, and unexpectedly wrapped one arm around his shoulder. Yoh blushed slightly.

'Give me your hand,' he obeyed, and the blonde put his arm on her left shoulder, supporting him while they were walking.

'And you,' she looked at HoroHoro, who was watching them with an open mouth, 'go and carry Yoh's bag. Pirika has mine.' Before the ainu could object or complain, Anna carried Yoh out of the stadium. She looked at the girls, who froze at what they saw, with an unnoticeable victorious smirk.

* * *

'Get some rest in here,' Anna put Yoh on a bench in the park nearby, observing his ankle. 'I better call Faust to come by and check on you, just to be sure.' Yoh nodded, carefully and reluctantly let go of Anna's arm and sat on the bench, sighing. His girlfriend sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

It was one of the moments Yoh cherished most in his life of seventeen years, rare minute they could share alone. The birds were singing, accompanied by sound of wind kissing the leaves on trees. Some would fall and land on them gently. He would put an arm around Anna, pulling her closer, and leant his head on hers. He closed his eyes, listening to the rhythm of nature. Sometimes Anna would fall asleep, and he would carry her home and place her softly on her futon, kissing her forehead, and wake her up when dinner was ready.

HoroHoro said he was out of his mind; Pirika said it was romantic; Ren simply blinked in awe, and Manta just smiled fearfully. Yoh grinned at their comments on his behaviour. Surely nobody expected him to be that brave, note that the consequences could be encountering legendary lefts and an intense increase in chores.

He knew he was fortunate enough to have Anna by his side whenever he needed help and comfort. He always felt bitter by the way boys in his class gawk at her and stare at him and Anna holding hands, or sometimes when he made Anna smile. He heard comments like 'he doesn't deserve her' or other jealous statements. He couldn't blame them though.

'Yoh?'

'Yes Anna?'

'Stop daydreaming. It's late. We should get going now.' Anna stood up, dusted her skirt and prepared to leave. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Her eyes widened, knowing fully whose arms were them.

'Anna…thank you…for everything.' He kissed her neck from behind, placing soft kisses on it. Anna shivered slightly, eyes closed.

'Yoh…something's bothering you. Tell me what's wrong.' She turned to look at him, his arms still around her. Yoh just smiled. 'Nothing's bothering me, Anna. Just that I feel so grateful to have such a wonderful girl standing by me every time, even when I fail you or disappoint you. You are the one who never give up on me.' He pecked her on the cheek. 'And I really appreciate your presence in helping me overcoming any difficulties.'

Anna's eyes softened. She embraced him, holding each other firmly.

'Idiot,' she muttered, 'I will never leave you…again.'

Yoh chuckled.

'And if I know I'm not the only woman in here,' she raised her finger to point at his heart, 'so help me God I swear you'll suffer so much that you'd rather beg for death.' Yoh just beamed at her statement, and she smiled sweetly at him.

They continued to hold each other in their arms, eyes closed, allowing the wind to play with their hair and took away their uncertainties in life. All troubles were gone, replaced by warmth that they shared.

At that moment, they recognized what they needed most in their lives.

-The End-

* * *

I do recognize Acquiesce is not a love song, but it somewhat describes my point of view in this chapter.

And pardon me for the rapid ending. I'm not really in a good mood these days.

Reviews and complaints are welcome. Please do so.


	5. Chapter 4: Fix You

Background music are Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day and Coldplay's Fix You.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. This statement sounds boring to me already.

Chapter 4: Wake me up when September ends/Fix You

Tao Ren stepped into his room in Funbari Inn.

After the tournament, he and the others had decided to stay in Japan to continue their studies. He shared a room with Yoh, who warmly welcomed them. It was nice, he admitted mentally, to have people you know around you and whom you could fully trust.

The Chinese checked his watch. 11 o'clock. It was already late for the Tao who usually went to bed before 10. Well, sleeping schedule was not that important when he just had a fantastic date with Pirika to the Amazement Park that opened just weeks ago. They both had a great time and shared some passionate moments. He entered the room as silent as possible, not wanting to wake up his roommate.

Due to the room limit in the Inn, they had to share rooms with each other. Ren skipped the choice of sharing one with HoroHoro, so he ended up with Yoh. It wasn't like he did not like his presence, but he could never stand the brunette's snoring sound at night that caused the Chinese to tackle him every night.

Ren was about to turn on the light when he noticed his companion and himself weren't the only two people in the room.

There were two figures lying on the bed. It looked like they were sticking onto each other. Both had short hair, yet Ren couldn't help but noticed they had different hair colours once his vision got adjusted to the darkness.

Realization came and hit him.

'Oh,' he whispered.

One figure raised and looked at him. It held its position for a minute then simply grinned naively at the standing shaman. It moved closer to the lying figure on bed, touching for a while, then left his original spot and approached the stunned Tao.

'Let's not talk in here.' Yoh stated simply.

Ren nodded.

* * *

'So,' the Chinese tried to sound normal, 'I didn't know you two had become that close, much to my surprise.'

'I must say,' HoroHoro said, 'no one must have guessed that.'

Yoh sighed. How stupid of him to let Ren tell Pirika, who informed HoroHoro, who basically woke everybody up. The only one sleeping was Kyoyama Anna, who was in Yoh's room.

'We didn't do anything. We just hugged each other to sleep.' Yoh confessed, yet the others would not buy his story.

'And you expect us to believe so? Com'on Yoh, just admit it! It's not something to be ashamed of!' HoroHoro exclaimed.

'Sshhhh...you might wake Anna up, and we both did not want that to happen, or else the consequences...you know very well.' Yoh successfully made the male ainu shut up.

'There's a reason for her to be in my room tonight

'It's near the end of September.'

Others looked dumbfounded. Yoh took a deep breath and began.

'I guess I have never told you about Anna's past, and I think you should know about the story. '

* * *

_-Yoh's Pov-_

As you all know, Anna and I met right before New Year when I was ten, but what you did not know was the story of her past before our meeting.

Annabelle Kroshatovic was born in a wealthy family in Tokyo. Her father was Russian while her mother was Japanese. Her hair colour was probably inherited from her father.

When she was little she already had great shamanic power. She could see spirits and communicate with them. Her parents were not shamans, so you could imagine how frightened they were to see their daughter talking to nothing in their point of view.

Anna could also read minds of others, the power of reishi that Hao had. The thoughts could not be controlled. They just came. So she understood every people who tried to bribe others, or saying something nice verbally but insulting mentally deep in their hearts. The stress was so great that she could only scream for the voices to get out of her head.

She had directly pointed out the greed and lust of people in public and this caused great troubles to their family. To shut her up, they started to abuse her. They hit her with every thing they could find. Vase, plates, brass, any kind of metals. She knew very well when they stroke, but what did you expect for an eight-year-old to defend against two adults?

She tried to please her parents by keeping her mouth shut, but this strategy failed. The dark thoughts of human beings kept running into her mind until she finally could no longer handle it. The thoughts generated into demons, oni, which were visible to shamans only. They caused great destruction among their house and neighbourhood. Many people were injured while houses were torn down.

The Kroshatovics were very mad yet frightened. They never talked to their daughter again and no one was allowed to be near her. They locked her up in a small room. She was isolated. She did not have a childhood that other kids had, and she had no one to talk to. Anna felt no love at all, not even when she was at home. She began to hide her emotions as it was useless for her to show, as no one would see her. She began to hate mankind and became cold to everyone.

After the damages caused, my grandmother was asked by shamans in that area to help them. It was then she sensed Anna's furyoku that she paid the Kroshatovics a visit. She learnt of Anna and asked if she could take the little girl with her. Her parents were overjoyed that they thanked my grandmother for that. Anna understood she was just a curse in the family that her own parents did not want at all.

My grandmother took her back to the Asakura household in Aomori, and started her training as an itako. As itakos were not supposed to show emotions apparently, Anna was the perfect candidate for my grandmother to raise as one.

Anna's last name nowadays, Kyoyama, was taken from Ozorezan, as she wanted to forget about her past. *(Author's note: Kyoyama and Ozorezan shared the same kanji) Anna did what she was instructed, but she never fully trusted her at early stage as she, surprisingly, could not read my grandmother's mind. It was then she knew that itako had the ability to block reishi. She was the best apprentice my grandmother ever had, and later she decided that Anna, months older than myself, could be the wife of Asakura Yoh to keep the bloodline of the Asakura family.

Soon she informed my grandfather, who lived with me and okasan in Izumo, of her decision and he approved. He later told me when I returned from school that I had to visit her and my future wife.

_-End of Yoh's Pov-_

Then Yoh went on to tell the gang of his meeting with Anna when he was ten, how he was attacked by oh-oni and the sacrifice of Matamune.

'I want to be the Shaman King due to three reasons. Firstly, I want an easy life for everyone. Secondly, I want to see Matamune again, who I have only met for three days. And lastly, I promise Anna that I will protect her, and that I will never betray her trust.'

The room went silent when Yoh's lips stopped parting. They could hear the sound of the clock ticking rhythmically. It was Pirika who broke the silence.

'Wow…I never thought Anna had gone through so much.' She muttered, 'I never knew.'

'It wasn't like she did not trust you. Anna wanted to forget about her past, but she couldn't.

'Today was the day her parents declared that they did not love her that they gladly sent her to my grandmother.

'She could never forget that day. Her own parents abandoned her, smiled when she went away, grinned when she was out of sight. Anna usually had nightmares on these days of this month, bringing back memories of her childhood. She may appear strong as if nothing happen, but I know she cried so hard these nights when nobody's around.' Yoh took a deep breath, 'and I cannot stand to see her like this, so I was with her tonight.'

Everyone was lost of words. It was a hard moment for them to know that Anna, who always appeared cold, emotionless, harsh, strong, had such a terrible youth. It was difficult for them to find a word to comment on the whole issue. They remained the awkward silence, and were partly glad when Yoh announced he would retreat and check on Anna in his room.

Yoh opened the door and closed after entering his room. Under the moonlight, he noticed Anna was sitting on bed, looking out of the window, her back facing him.

'Hi.' He stated simply.

She did not turn to look at him. Instead, she continued to look at the view of the city outside the window blankly.

'You know very well I have heard what you told your friends.' Her voice was calm, not the outraged one she used when she was mad.

'I know.'

'And you have not asked for my permission to reveal my story.'

'Are you mad?'

She chose that moment to turn, her arms by her waist, their eyes locked.

'I'd be lying if I say I'm not.' She whispered softly.

'Sorry.' He moved towards her, holding her slim figure. 'I just want them to understand what you've been through.'

Anna rested her head on his shoulder, embracing the warmth. It seemed funny that she was furious when she overheard the conversation in the living room, but soon the rage faded and she was filled with concerns. Asakura Yoh, in a way, was breaking her façade that she needed not to act as she used to all the time.

'You aren't crying anymore.' Yoh hissed into her ears. 'You haven't had the nightmares again, have you?

'No,' she confessed, 'I haven't.'

'Good.' Yoh slowly laid her on the futon, himself lying next to her.

'It's strange though. For more than seven years I have been having these nightmares. This year is the only exception.'

'Isn't that a good thing?'

She smiled weakly at him. 'I guess so.'

She snuggled close to him, using his chest as her private pillow.

'I love you.' Yoh pressed his lips on her forehead, smiling warmly.

'I love you too.' Anna replied, pulling herself closer to him.

They just held each other for the night, both drifted into sweet dreamland, where they found no worries but simply joyfulness.

-The End-

* * *

Here goes the fifth story.

Anna's past is always something I want to write on, especially when the only information we have is that 'Anna was abandoned as a child'. I was doing this thing in a rush as I'm getting busy, so I hope you won't mind if this chapter is too short and not descriptive enough.

Reviews are welcome, as always. Compliments, complaints are all accepted =D


	6. Chapter 5: You Can't Make It On Your Own

Background music is U2's Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

Plot summary: Yoh deals with his lack of paternal love when Mikihisa is admitted into the hospital.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. Sounds boring to you?

Chapter 5: Sometimes you can't make it on your own

_-A house still does not make a home_

Yoh had never been close to his father.

When he was just a young boy, the man who wore a mask to hide his scars had already been traveling around the world to strengthen his shamanic skills. Whenever Yoh saw others kids' father picked them from school he could feel nothing but emptiness. Not that he did not enjoy his mother's presence, but having both of them together would definitely be a more colourful picture.

He lived with Yohmei, Keiko and occasionally Kino would come and visit or the other way round. In his memories, he had only seen Mikihisa in the house for three times, maybe even less, throughout his thirteen years stay in it. Sometimes he wondered why his father would not just spend some time with him, at least to act like how a father should be to a son.

He had never voiced this out loud, not even to Keiko or Anna, and it was like his little secret in his heart. He actually was mad that he had never felt much paternal love when his classmates, non-shamans, had. Of course he knew being the heir of the Asakura family meant he led a different life from others, he also knew Mikihisa had a duty to fulfill, yet he wanted to know his father, not from others' mouth, but his own.

And now here he was, staring at his father lying on bed, unconscious. It was a car accident, as he was told, that resulted in his staying in the intensive care unit. How did it happen? He had no idea. It should be quite a piece of cake for a strong shaman like Mikihisa to evade an upcoming vehicle, but never mind the process.

Keiko, his mother, was weeping hard on the bench outside the room. Yoh, honestly, found it strange that he was not the one comforting his own mother. It was Tamao who played the role, patting her mistress' back while handing her handkerchiefs and tissues when necessary. Maybe he was too lost in his own thought to do such things. Yeah, probably that's the reason.

Doctors said that he was injured badly, and had already undergone an urgent operation. His condition, however, was still unstable and needed to be monitored regularly. Still in a coma, Yoh looked at his father again through the see-through mirror.

His mask was nowhere to be seen. To tell the truth, he and his father shared similar facial appearance except for the burnt marks that Mikihisa had received from Hao when the twins were born. His face was longer, and he seemed to leave his moustache unshaved. Yoh couldn't help but imagine himself wearing that face maybe ten years from now. He remembered Keiko had once commented that they had similar features. He never really believed it even he had seen his father without that mask of his. But this time he studied his features carefully, as if seeing him for the last time.

Sometimes life is just so ironic. The old saying goes that you never truly treasure one's presence until you're losing him.

'Everything will be alright.'

The famous phrase would have been what he told his mother in such situation, yet it startled him slightly that it came from his female companion.

'Ojisan is a strong man. He will make it.' Anna stated blankly, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, resting her head on his back, giving him some comfort and support. Yoh mentally thanked her for the support he needed, as he tried to recall moments he had shared with his father.

The first image was Bob. All CDs he now owned, the orange headphone, they all belonged to his old man. He had also taught him to play the guitar, but he only taught the basics. Yoh mastered his skills mostly from videos and his own interest.

The second thing in his mind was training. During his short stays in home, Mikihisa instead of Yohmei would train him, meaning there wasn't much room for conversation between the two.

The third imgae was during the shaman tournament. He and Golem and the kids, Redseb and Seyram. Indeed he had helped him much in the tournament, teaching them about Cho Senji Ryakketsu, but he was too involved with the kids that they barely talked to each other.

He fought hard to think of another, but find none. When he visited Kino, Mikihisa was usually sent to complete some tasks by his grandmother or training Tamao. Come to think about it, the number of real conversations he had with Mikihisa so far could equal to the number of times Ren did not yell when talking to HoroHoro.

He turned to look at his mother, who had stopped sobbing. She looked terrible, her eyes dry red and her body kept shaking. Her face was pale. He could tell she had not eaten a single thing since her husband was sent into the hospital, which was almost eight hours ago.

'Okasan, you should get something to eat.' Yoh said. 'Anna and I will be here. If anything happens we'll inform you.'

After several attempts, he had succeeded in persuading Keiko, accompanied by Tamao, to have a quick lunch in the hospital canteen. It had been a long day. Anna and he received a call from hospital at 4 in the morning and immediately rushed to Aomori. When they arrived, Keiko was already there, and Tamao came with Yohmei and Kino soon afterwards. The elderly had returned to their home to 'pray', as they said. Yoh knew very well that although they appeared oblivious, they were very worried of their son-in-law's condition.

So are you, Asakura. A voice was heard in his mind.

Yes. He had not even shed a tear ever since he was in this white building. He looked into the reflection of himself in a mirror.

His eyes…showed no emotions at all. It was as if looking into Anna's eyes years ago. Not a sign of unhappiness, not a sign of worries, just…nothing. When he looked deeply, he thought of Mikihisa again. His face appeared longer, his hair less messy, some wrinkles were visible. He was looking at his father without any scars.

He wondered what his relationship with his father was. Biologically, they were father and son. Truthfully…who were they to judge, when the father had not spoken to the son much, and the son only gave short replies during a conversation?

'Yoh…' standing beside the brunette, Anna looked worried. She had seen him in miserable state, but this time, he looked lifeless. She almost could not recognize him.

'I'm fine, Anna.' He reassured his ex-fiancée…

'You're not.' And failed.

Yoh lowered his head, looking at the floor, and sat on the chair outside the hospital room. Anna hesitated for a second, then sat next to him, holding his hand firmly. She could not read him as his eyes were hidden by his hair.

'Yoh…you can tell me what's bothering you.'

Yoh did not reply.

'Yoh…?' The blonde looked at the shaman with doubts. She raised her eyebrows when she realized what she was witnessing.

Tear droplets were flowing down his cheeks, dropping on his pants. He was in pain, definitely, as he started to sob loudly, ignoring the gazes from passer-by.

'Oh Yoh…' Anna, in truth, was shocked to see Yoh in such a state, as he was usually good at hiding his own emotions. He tended to hide his pain so his friends would not notice, but she would. She always would. She knew very well when he was covering or when he was not.

Anna put a hand on Yoh's hindbrain and pulled him closer. She felt a heavy object fell on her chest, and her clothes started to get wet. The itako flushed, yet upon seeing her boyfriend's horrendous circumstance, she decided she would let him go this time. She wrapped her arms around his head, allowing him to let his emotions flow.

'Everything will be alright…it's okay to cry…'she kept murmuring into his ears, hoping to comfort him, at least for a bit. And Yoh obeyed, crying his heart out.

* * *

Yoh felt dizzy. He opened his eyes to find himself facing the ceiling. The fluorescent light was so strong that he immediately closed his eyes again. Putting a hand on his forehead, rubbing his eyes, he slowly rose from his lying position to sit on the bench, moaning slightly.

'So you're awake.' A cold voice entered his ears. He turned his head to his right and found Anna looking at him.

'What time…'

'Three hours.' She replied matter-of-factly. 'It's three in the afternoon now.'

It's three already? Wait a minute, he could not really remember. When did he fall asleep?

'Anna,' he started, 'how did I fall asleep?'

He could swear he saw her stiffened, blushing for merely a second then appeared oblivious. 'You were just tired after the waiting,' came her reply.

'Oh.' Yoh answered. Maybe he would ask her later again.

'Oh, and Ojisan has awoken already.'

Yoh's eyes widened.

'Faust had also visited, explaining some medical problems. The important part is that Ojisan is fine now and should be discharged in a few days.' She raised her eyebrows at him. 'You can see him now. Keiko-sama has already paid her visit and is currently inside the room.'

The mind of Yoh went blank. He opened the door to see his father chatting lovingly with his mother. He did not look like he was run over by a car, nor did he look pale or anything like a dying patient.

He looked fine, like all the mere times he had stayed in the household. Yoh would not have even suspected he was involved in a traffic accident if he was not standing in a hospital room.

The older Asakuras noticed the new presence in the room and turned to him. Keiko was smiling warmly at her son. Mikihisa looked confused for some reasons, then managed to looked happily at him.

'Hi son.'

Yoh was speechless. He should have just run to them and hugged his family, like all the characters did in soaps. Instead he just stood there like a statue, not moving a bit.

Family…he never hid his feelings from his mother, right? So why should he not tell his father his true passions?

His smiled at Mikihisa. It was not the trademark Asakura Yoh grin, nor Tao Ren's smirk. It was just a smile. A sincere one with love and concerns.

'Hi Otousan.'

-The End

* * *

Bono dedicated the song Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own to his dead father. It has always been one of my favourite songs of all times. After listening to it for some more times, I realize it is not just about regretting or recalling, but cherishing the relationship between a father and a son.

In this story, Misihika is not dead. It's more about Yoh who never really has a good relationship with his own father. I'm sorry if there's lack of romantic scenes in this one and it is a more serious chapter. I promise the next one will have more YohAnna moment in it.

As usual, reviews (complaints, criticism, compliments) are all welcome. Please do review more, so I know how I've been doing so far. : )


	7. Chapter 6: A Closer Christmas

The song you're listening to is Travis' Closer. Beautiful songs it is.

Chapter summary: Music, laughter and love made the warmest Christmas ever.

Disclaimer: I do not own Christmas.

Oh, and neither do I own Shaman King.

Chapter 6: A Closer Christmas

_-When I need you then I know you will be there for me_

The weather was terribly cold. It had been snowing for three days in a row. Many people decided not to walk on the streets normally, considering the breeze. However, the situation would b different on Christmas day, and this also applied to Shinra Private Academy, where the annual Christmas ball was held.

The school campus and school hall were filled with various decorations. Colourful spheres and bright shining stars could be easily spotted. There were several Christmas trees along the pathway from the front door leading to the hall, where most people spent their time there.

Inside the hall the colourful flashlights were moving around the stage. A band of four shamans were trying their very best to impress the crowd and, judging by their expressions, everyone was satisfied.

The drummer was HoroHoro, who moved his drumsticks only occasionally, considering that they were not playing heavy rock music here. They were just playing romantic songs to let couples dance and people to chat in a calm and peaceful mood. Lyserg was in charge of keyboard, which played a main role in this show. He also did background vocals to create better harmonies. The one playing guitar was Tao Ren, the proud Chinese who surprised everyone by standing on stage. Well, if it wasn't Yoh who begged him every day and night he probably would no do so. Speaking of Yoh, he was another guitarist and also, the main vocalist. The band had performed in some malls during weekends and had earned quite a good reputation among locals.

The ending of their first song was followed with a burst of applause. They bowed politely and waved back to the fangirls screaming at the top of their lungs.

'The following song is one of my favourite,' Yoh went on. He looked into the direction where his favourite blonde stood, talking with her friends. Yet they never broke their eye contact. Her lips slowly crept into an attractive curve.

'I dedicate this song to a special someone of mine,' Yoh winked at Anna, who looked confused, 'and also that to my friends and their partners. The name of the song is Closer. I hope you will like it.'

He picked up his guitar, and started to play the melody. Ren joined in, playing a guitar duet with him. Lyserg, who was playing keyboard, positioned himself in front of a microphone and started to sing the opening.

The melody was slow and comfortable. More couples began to dance in the dance floor. Lyserg, while singing, couldn't help but stare at Jeanne, who put on a blue dress with transparent sleeves. The pearl earrings she wore made her looked more attractive, and she, along with Anna, had turned down many boys who wanted just one dance with them.

It was Ren who sang the chorus. He smirked at the dancing people. How wonderful it was for them to create such a harmonious environment for people to participate in and have a good time. Though he would never admit it, he liked making people happy. He wondered it was probably due to sharing a room with the ever-gentleman Asakura Yoh in the Inn and sitting next to him during classes. Some of the Yoh-ish thoughts might have entered his mind.

Pirika looked at him with sparkling eyes. He looked so cool in his black suit but cute with his purple pointed hair. She also noted that when he was singing, his eyes did not show the usual pride, but they softened, as if they were speaking to someone special. She blushed when Ren looked at her with that particular expression. His smirk turned into a warm smile.

She nearly flinched.

Sitting in the back, HoroHoro was the only one who did not sing. He told the rest that he preferred playing with drumsticks than singing. He usually would not sing unless it was for a four-part harmony.

The ainu looked at Ren and Pirika, and frowned a bit. Of course, he had known of his sister's affection for his teammate, and even approved of her going out with him, the one and only Tao Ren whom he argued with a lot. Still, he never liked to see the two showing affections towards each other in front of him. Yoh once commented that he was being overprotective, and he wondered if he should just relax and let her sister be happy.

Speaking of happiness, he thought of Yoh and Anna. Sure, Anna still bossed them around, made Yoh do all sorts of inhumane training and chores, but Yoh seemed always happy. Yes, they were going out (which HoroHoro would have never believed, having seen Yoh being slapped by Anna thrice a day), but she did not seem to get softer. Shouldn't girls be sweeter and kinder? He thought.

And immediately he thought of Tamao, the shy girl that blushed whenever they were close…or whatever they did, even if it's just a 'good morning' before breakfast. He grinned at her shyness. He always thought of her as a school-girl type, happening to be shy around guys. But tonight, she was more of a lady. She wore a pink gown with a flower stuck on her strip. She looked cute yet elegant in a way he could not describe.

Ren finished his note and nodded to Yoh, who continued singing most of the remaining part of the song. He looked around the crowd of people and finally spotted the one and only Kyoyama Anna he was looking for.

Yoh eyed her carefully. The violet sleeveless gown that he had chosen for her a week ago clung to her body, showing her curves and slim figure. She also wore the silver locket that he had given her months ago, which symbolized their relationship. Her blonde hair had grown over her shoulder level, slightly brushing through her shoulder when she turned her head. She for sure was a stunning beauty, and he considered himself lucky that she had not left him for someone else. Many boys drooled over her, yet she paid no attention to them. The itako only focused on the young man singing on stage.

Anna had to admit, Yoh also looked nice tonight. He put on a dark blue suit with black pants and black leather shoes. He also put on a mild yellow tie, which made him look smarter. She noted the girls screaming his name and begging him to be their boyfriend. She couldn't help but sighed to see the same group of girls bugging her boyfriend over and over again.

Suddenly Yoh jumped off stage and slowly walked towards Anna, still holding a microphone, singing the phrases. Everyone looked shocked at his behaviour and even the band looked dumbfounded. Flashing them the famous Yoh-ish grin, he kept singing while motioning himself towards his destination. Ren seemed to know what he intended to do and gave signs to HoroHoro and Lyserg to continue playing.

'And when I need you then I know it will be next to me,'

Anna could feel her cheeks burning when he looked into her eyes and wrapped one arm around her waist. He looked at her lovingly, 'and when I need you then I know you will be there for me.' Anna, now understood his intention, hugged him gently.

'I'll never leave you…' he smiled, kissing her forehead. Anna turned slightly crimson at his action, yet chuckled at the pissed expression of some females several foot from them. To be frank, she never expected Yoh to be that bold.

'Just need to get closer…closer…' their foreheads touched each other, 'lean on me now, lean on me now.' He nodded to Lyserg to let him continue with the singing part, while he gave up his cordless microphone and used both his arms to hold Anna tightly.

'Since when had you become such a hopeless romantic?' She muttered, resting her head on his shoulder. She could hear him laugh softly.

'I just feel that way, right now, somehow.' He lifted her face, and placed a soft kiss on her nose. 'Closer, closer…' his voice faded while pulling Anna closer to his body, embracing the warmth. The music also become softer and then slowly, ended their last song of the night.

'Thanks everyone. I hope you enjoy our performance. Merry Christmas to you all.' Lyserg, upon knowing Yoh's 'busy', spoke and bowed in response to the applause and cheers they received from the audience. They packed their belongings, along with Yoh's guitar, to the backstage and handed the stage back to the MCs.

* * *

After the band performance, some slow, romantic music were played through a laptop's music player. Now almost everyone had found themselves a partner to dance with. You can see people slowly moving their bodies around the dance floor and some couples hugging. Some were teaching the other to dance.

'Ouch.'

'Gomen gomen HoroHoro-kun…I don't mean to…' Tamao stammered after kicking the ainu's feet for the umpteenth times. 'It's okay, really.' HoroHoro tried to reassure his partner that he was fine…at least pretended to be. His feet felt sour to be honest. However he did not want to discourage the timid girl whom he adored.

'It's like this…let me teach you again.' He gently took her hand and showed her the correct steps…

* * *

'You looked beautiful tonight…'

A giggle was heard. 'You've said that ever since we started dancing, Lyserg.' The silver-haired girl turned scarlet even though she had been hearing the statement for numerous times. The Brit blushed from embarrassment and modestly looked away, fighting to remove the crimson colour on his face. In the same time, his eyes glanced at the cute tomato face holding his pale green shirt. _She looks so damn cute…_

He unhurriedly moved his face forward, closer to hers. She also leaned closer, their lips ready to meet each other. Time seemed to have stopped…

* * *

'You looked different a while ago when you're singing.' Pirika said to Ren. He raised an eyebrow. 'Was I?' he was confused actually. It was the first time for someone to comment on his expression during his show. Usually it was about how the music went or what they wore.

'Indeed.' She looked into his eyes. 'Your eyes looked…looked as if you're telling a story of your own. I've never seen such a sight before.' He blinked. 'Really? I haven't noticed myself…' he closed his eyes, recalling the moment when he's singing to the crowd. He did feel more relaxed than usual, but had he acted differently? Not that he could remember…fine. Maybe he did. What's wrong with that anyway?

'Anyhow,' he started, raising his eyebrows to meet her eyes, 'let us forget about that…and enjoy the music, shall we?' He smiled.

Pirika nodded in return. She'd ask others later anyway to find the answer to her question. Right now, that thing wasn't her major concern. It was more important, as Ren had stated, to treasure the present time.

* * *

Yoh put his arms carefully around Anna, one on her thin waist and one holding her outstretched arm, leading her to move on the dance floor. They moved smoothly, following the rhythm and each beat of the music, amazing everyone with their consensus as they'd not said a word to each other. Their eyes never broke their contact. They just stared at each other like other things and people do not exist. It was Yoh who broke their comfortable silence.

'So, what do you think of tonight?'

It was such a stupid question to ruin their perfect moment. She would have given him a direct blow should there be less people around. However, upon seeing that charming smile which he only showed to her, not to his friends nor his family, her anger faded.

'Yoh no baka,' she hissed. 'You ruin the moment.'

He chuckled. 'Well then, why don't we create another one?'

Before she could even ask, her lips were attacked by Yoh's. His hands were now on her waist, pulling her closer to his body. Anna could feel his tongue licking the lipsticks on her lips and, understanding his intention, opened her mouth to let their tongues battle. Yoh moaned slightly in delight, followed by moving his hands to her face, caressing her cheeks while exploring her mouth.

The blonde ignored the jealous expression worn by girls and boys nearby them and wrapped her arms around his chest, feeling the warmth brought by the shaman. They were forced to part when they had to, by no choice, breathe in more fresh air. Their faces were red from the passion and lack of oxygen, themselves panting hard.

'So,' he asked while gasping for air, 'how was the moment?'

'Perfect.' She smirked, hugging him. Her head rested on his shoulder, her body loosened. 'Now shut up and dance.' Anna commanded. Yoh nodded in response and led her to move again, following the tempo of the serenade.

They continued to hold each other tightly, oblivious to the people moving around them. They were too trapped in their own little world, where they needed not to worry about the present and coming future. It's just him and her, and nothing else mattered. Nothing else could affect them.

-The End-

* * *

Hm…seems like I still have a lot to learn to describe a dancing scene. I have no idea how to put image in my brain into words sometimes…

Anyway, hope you'll enjoy this story. It's actually one of my very first ideas of a YohAnna story after reading the manga/anime. I've never been to any kind of a ball myself, so I can only imagine the scene. It's quite challenging, so I hope you won't find it too different from what will actually happen.

Reviews are always welcome, as usual, no matter it is compliments/complaints/anything. All are appreciated.


	8. Chapter 7: Flying Without Wings

'Flying Without Wings' is a famous song of Westlife. It's my favourite from the Irish group. Please enjoy the story.

Story summary: Valentines' Day means the world to girls, even if it's Kyoyama Anna we're talking about. Especially when it's

her birthday.

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King.

Chapter 7: Flying Without Wings

_-A simple line can make you laugh or cry_

It was Valentine's Day, a sacred day for girls to imply their love in the chocolate they gave or gifts they chose for males they admired. For many reasons, Anna hated and loved this very day.

She was never a sweet person, in others' point of views. She was cold, cruel, oblivious to everything a normal school teenage girl would do. She did not gossip about everyone; she showed no interest in attracting the opposite sex; she showed no emotions at all.

However, this didn't imply that she really had none. She cared for others in her own way, and especially when it came to Yoh. She glared at each and very girl who tried to be very close to him and became very mad when they were in a way too close. She hid her jealousy perfectly that nobody would ever notice. Or so she thought.

Anna stood in the bathroom and looked at her naked reflected figure on the mirror. She let her blonde hair to grow to shoulder-level. Her breasts were rounded and not over-developed. She had a slim waist, as she never ate much. Her legs were long, her skin milky. She had everything other girls would pray for, yet 'beautiful' was never the word she would use to describe herself. Yoh had called her that many times, but sometimes she wondered he said so just to make her happy. After all, girls liked being complimented, right?

She sighed, and put on her school uniform. Speaking of Yoh, he had not woken up yet, and it was just 5 minutes before everyone would leave the Inn and headed for school.

The blonde left the bathroom and approached his room…em…her room. Ever since New Year's Eve, their seventh anniversary of meeting each other, they had been sleeping together. For some reasons, she did not oppose to the idea, and the others did not dare to question her.

And they had not done anything inappropriate for their age…yet. There were quite a few times that they got close to, but somehow people would just walk in their room for whatever reason and they would be totally embarrassed. Anna flushed slightly at the thought.

She slowly opened her bedroom door and only to find Yoh still lying on bed, sounding asleep. She frowned.

'Asakura Yoh, wake up now.' She ordered, crossing her arms across her chest. Yoh showed no intention in waking and kept on sleeping.

Anna raised her eyebrows. It was rare for Yoh not to stand up immediately after hearing her command. She moved forward, ready to pull the pillow from his head.

'Yoh, wak…' before she could finish her sentence, her hand was pulled down by a warm object in a swift motion. The next thing she knew, she was lying on his bed, her face facing the ceiling. A warm, soft and wet thing pressed itself on her forehead.

'Good morning to you too.' Asakura Yoh smirked.

Anna was stunned. She realized that he whom she thought was asleep actually was not. He was conscious all the way, just to play a dirty trick on her.

SLAP!

'Aww…that hurts.' Yoh whined, caressing his wounded cheek.

'You deserve it.' Anna sniffed at him. Yoh frowned, then grinned.

'Can't our birthday girl accept some surprises?'

The young itako looked at him, surprised. He seized the opportunity to press his lips against hers.

'Happy birthday, my dearest Anna.'

Yes. It was indeed the birthday of the infamous Ice Queen Kyoyama Anna. She always thought it was ironic for her birthday to be on the same day as the sacred Valentines' Day. She was not a sweet person, to be sure, and she was the complete opposite of those young shy pretty girls who timidly wanted to share a romantic date with their Romeo on this very special day. Her character opposed the characteristics of this holy day.

However, that was only a façade. How she had wished for her Romeo to appear when she was young, and when he finally did, she was the cold-hearted bitch who only knew how to train him to become the ultimate king of all shamans. She feared that she would scare him away, sometimes.

Yet not only he was still here, he had never left her side and betrayed her trust. The bonding between them seemed to tighten every time they met.

Anna's expression softened. She had never told anyone of her birthday, but Yoh had somehow figured it out. And for seven consecutive years, he had not failed in forgetting this day as her very day. Only that for the past six years they were engaged, but this time it was a blessing from a real lover, not a blinded marriage.

'Anna…are you alright?' Yoh was afraid that his action would have been too much, that she might get mad and gave him another blow in the head.

A pair of delicate arms wrapped themselves around the shaman king's neck, and he was pulled down to receive his queen's kiss. Their lips slowly parted.

'Yoh…thank you.' She smiled softly, earning a big grin from the brunette.

They continued their kissing section. They cherished each and every kiss they shared. Anna suddenly took notice of the awkward position they're in: Yoh was on top of her, her legs in between his, her head in between his elbows, which supported his body not to crush onto hers.

Normally, she would blush furiously and push him away as far as possible. But this morning it was a different story. She did not want him to get away. Instead, she wanted him to stay. With her.

Having made up her mind, she allowed Yoh to let his body pressed on hers. She gladly embraced his body heat. Their arms were all over the other's body. Anna moaned quietly when Yoh kissed her neck and shoulder. Frankly speaking, she enjoyed them very much. She acquiesced in removing her tie and unbuttoning her shirt. His sleeping robe had also been pulled away, showing his bare chest.

They started to breathe hard. Anna stared at Yoh's chest muscles and couldn't help but find them very attractive. She made note to herself that she did train Yoh well. Yoh, on the other hand, looked at Anna with love and lust. Her shirt was wide open, unveiling her pale yellow brassiere, covering her breasts. He had dreamt of this moment for many times and he could not believe, that, here he was, lying on top of the girl of his dream. He loved her, and she loved him. It sounded so pure.

'Yoh-kun, we'll be late for school. Are yo…' Lyserg regretted the moment he agreed to wake Yoh up, opened his bedroom door, and witnessing two of his very good friends snogging each other…with barely their clothes on.

Anna swiftly turned to the other side from the green-haired boy, pulling her shirts together to cover her body, blushing furiously from total embarrassment. Yoh immediately sit on the bed instead of Anna's waist. He, too, felt the heat in his cheeks.

However, It was Lyserg who felt the most embarrassed. He closed the door in merely half a second and started to yell and apologize in the same time.

'I'm…I'm…I'm sorry to interrupt…I…I just…just want to…to remind you two that we sh…should get re…ready for sch…school now.' He stammered, closing his eyes, trying to forget the scene he'd just witnessed.

Yoh and Anna could hear sounds of footsteps fading, knowing that he had left. They continued to pant for a while, and Anna broke the uncomfortable silence.

'Yoh…I think we should get ready now. It's getting late.'

'Yeah.' He couldn't agree more. Although as much as he wanted to continue what they had been doing, it felt awkward now that others had known.

'We really should.'

* * *

The remaining school day went much better than Anna could have imagined. There were still young girls who brought Yoh some hand-made chocolates with a big heart shape, with some occasional confession letters slipped under it. While Anna glared at every girl who approached him, Yoh gladly accepted all the gifts, knowing that Ryu and HoroHoro would be more than happy to eat all the chocolate for him. However, on their free time they walked together around the school yard, the corridors and football field, with their hands locked firmly.

It was these moments that Anna found most enjoyabl. During lessons, they would steal some glances towards each other, unnoticeable by other classmates and teachers. None of their housemates dared to mention the 'incident' that morning to anyone else so they shared a rather peaceful day at school.

When school ended, they parted from others and headed towards the park, their favourite place to spend time with each other. They would sit under a tree, with Anna leaning on it, Yoh would rest his head on her laps or vice versa. They closed their eyes to enjoy the comfortable silence between them.

They kept their position until the sun started to descend. Dusk stroke and they decided to return to home to prepare for dinner.

* * *

'SURPRISE!'

Anna widened her eyes. The moment she stepped into the house she figured something was not right. When she entered the living room, light suddenly was turned on and revealed a large banner of 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA!' hanging high. There was a table of food under it. Under it, Ren smirked, Ryu was crying anime-style of tears, Manta, HoroHoro and Lyserg smiled, while the girls were beaming frantically.

'How did you all know…' she looked at Yoh, dumbfounded. Yoh smiled and hugged her, whispering into her ears.

'Sorry for not informing again,' he took a deep breath, 'but I'm sure you would like this surprise. I told them about it and they agreed to help me on this.'

'But it's Valentines' Day,' She looked at the crowd here. 'Shouldn't you be spending time with your beloved?'

'Valentines' Day is not just about lovers, Anna.' Jeanne managed to give a small, sweet smile. 'It's about giving and sharing love. Lovers are not the only one on the list,' she looked around the room, observing each expression, 'but also with family and friends, people that we care for deeply. People we love.'

Anna was close to tears. Never in her life had she felt that cared, wanted and loved by others. She turned to hug Yoh tightly, burying her head on his chest, calming down herself.

'Thank you…' she rose, whispering, her eyes red.

'Thank you all for this party…' she gulped, and couldn't choose the right word to describe her feelings right now. 'I really appreciate this.' She faced her friends with a small smile that truly represented her emotion. Everyone was relieved that Anna finally could show her true self in front of them, instead of putting on a façade, as she always tended to do.

* * *

Anna stared out of the window. The night view of the city seemed so peaceful. She closed to relax. It had been a long day for her and she, honestly, had never been happier. Today was her day. Her very day. She probably wouldn't forget this day for the rest of her life.

Right when he entered the room to find her, he stopped. The way moonlight shown on her made her more appealing than ever, with her eyes gazing blankly into the city, and he did not want to ruin the perfect sight. He saw her eyebrows relaxed, then he decided to approach her.

A pair of arms crawled around her waist from her back. She did not flinch. She sensed his presence long time ago.

'I hope you enjoy the party.' He muttered.

'I do.' She spoke softly, with a hint of loneliness in her tone. Yoh frowned.

As if seeing his expression without witnessing, she continued.

'It's just that…it's my first birthday party that I could remember.

'Maybe my parents held some when I was much younger, but I don't think I can recall those moments anymore.' She added, her voice remained calm.

'Anna…' he held her tighter, taking in her scent.

'Don't worry.' She turned to face him. She realized that he, along with her, had already put on their sleeping robe. 'I've gotten over that already.

'And speaking of which, I have to thank you, Yoh.' She looked into his eyes. She could tell he did not understand what she meant.

'You never fail to surprise me. I originally thought it would just be a normal dinner like previous years, but instead, you held a party for me.' She wrapped her arms around his chest, 'sometimes I don't think I deserve all of these, yet you're the one who continue to motivate me to go on with my life. You show me love that no one has shown me before. And I am really, really grateful.'

Yoh was lightly shocked at her words, but soon overcame it. His hand touched her cheek, feeling the tenderness of her skin.

'I should be the one thanking you Anna.' He smiled warmly at her. 'Every morning I wake up and find this beautiful woman sleeping so peacefully next to me…it makes me wonder who I am to have you by my side.

'Without you, I don't know how my life would have become. You are the one who tell me what to do and what not to. You always make the right decision. You support me in a way that no one can understand, but I do. You make me complete.'

For an instant Anna was lost of words. She could feel her cheeks burning. She wanted to pinch him down and kissed furiously every inch of his skin. She wanted to hug him so tight that nothing could ever separate them. She wanted to hold him, forever.

Instead, she just stood there, not moving a bit, her bangs covered her eyes in Yoh's eyesight.

'Yoh…do you love me?'

He chuckled. Who said he was the only one full of surprises?

'Of course I do, Anna.'

'Do you want me?'

She raised her head to face his. The curiosity and shock in his eyes dimmed, gradually replaced by love and tenderness. She slowly moved towards him and placed her palms on his cheeks, kissing him fully and gently.

'I don't want you to do anything you don't want to.' He stated, their eyes never broke contact.

'I know what I'm doing.' She kissed him again, knowing his answer that she wanted to hear. She was more determined than ever.

'Consider this…my Valentines' Day gift to you.'

Pure love and passion filled the air. The twinkling stars were bright as ever, guarding the paths of everyone in darkness. On this placid night Yoh and Anna lost their virginity, but they gained something more. They just did not know at that time.

-The End-

* * *

Hope you enjoy this one. As Anna's birthday is never officially stated (at least my short-term memory cannot recall), I decide to make it on Valentines' Day. I stop it here as I don't want this to turn into a full sex-scene descriptive story. Maybe I'll do that on another one, but I intend to keep this series innocent.

Reviews are welcome. No matter it's compliments/complaints/criticism, that's what keep us writers continue writing.


	9. Chapter 8: Believe

Background music playing is Yellowcard's Believe.

Disclaimer: I know very well that the song, Believe by Yellowcard, is about people who lost their lives in the 9-11 incident, but I'm not going political here. I use this simply because I like the lyrics and this story has absolutely nothing to do with the 9-11 incident.

Chapter summary: 'Everything's gonna be alright. Be strong, believe.' It's the only thing Anna can do when Yoh's out, fighting for his life.

Chapter 8: Believe

_-think about the love inside the strength of heart_

People were walking quickly to avoid the snow. They held up their newspaper or their bag to cover their head, while some were waiting impatiently for cabs. All of these scenes entered the eyes of a certain blonde, who stood by the window of the Inn.

She observed the people on streets one by one, yet he was not one of them. He. She had been waiting for him for days, yet he was still nowhere to be seen. She knew he had a duty to fulfill, and that she wanted him to, but his absence in the house was still unbearable to her. Her blank expression could not cover up the hints of worries and fear in her eyes.

She did not voice it out, but she was scared of living in the house while her husband was out somewhere, completing the tasks of the Great Spirit. It was not the first time, and for every time he was not by her side, she felt insecure.

Ever since his eighteenth birthday, he was sent to train under the Great Spirit to learn techniques that a Shaman King should have possessed of, and sometimes he would be sent to defeat different enemies to avoid them from damaging the balance of the world. Usually he would go with two of the elemental fighters, and once in a while he would return home severely injured, and the sight haunted Anna.

In these situations she would not give a damn about everyone else. She would just rush to his side with tears forming in her eyes and gave him some comfort that he needed from her only, and she would help taking care of his wounds. He would grin sheepishly and said, 'everything's gonna be alright.' The usual Asakura Yoh attitude that everyone expected.

'_Alright my ass.' Came her reply. 'I should make my training more suitable for your level now.'_

_Yoh whined. 'Com'on Anna, it's not that bad…'_

'_You telling me it's not? Asakura Yoh, do you have any idea how I feel when my husband was carried to my house, barely alive, and still laugh as if nothing has ever happened?' She hissed dangerously at him, and his smile faded._

'_I'm sorry I've made you worried.' He hugged her gently, and she buried her head on his chest. She had missed him._

'_I don't want to see you hurt.' She whispered. 'I don't want to find your friends only when I answered the door and have them informed me that you're…' she trailed off, not wanting to continue her sentence._

'_I assure you, Anna, everything's gonna be alright. Just stay strong and believe in me_._' Yoh replied sternly and calmly. _And this gave her strength mentally.

However, this only happened when he's back. When he was out for another mission, she would do the house-keeping chores. She tried to forget by keeping herself busy, but she could not. She started to feel bad again. If he could not come back alive…she could not afford to live probably.

'Oka-san?'

She turned her head towards the door, where the voice came from, and her grave expression softened.

'What is it, Hana-chan?'

The little boy named Hana walked to her side and looked at her. 'Oka-san, you look sad. Is something wrong?'

'Oh, nothing's wrong, Hana-chan.' She pulled him up from the ground and hugged him. 'Your oka-san is just thinking about otou-san. That's all.'

'But otou-san said he's coming back today, didn't he? So where is he now?' The five-year-old asked anxiously.

'I don't know, sweetheart,' she admitted, 'but everything's gonna be alright. Your otou-san is not someone who will break a promise. So have some faith in him, alright?'

'Oka-san, what does "faith" mean?'

The itako giggled. 'Well that's for you to find out.' She put her son on the ground. 'Ask your teacher later to find out the meaning of the word, okay?'

'Okay!' exclaimed the boy with messy blonde hair. He picked up his bag and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. 'I'm going to the market with Ryu-san now, ja ne!' The boy grinned and left the room.

Anna sighed. Although her son had been inherited her hair color and her onyx eyes, his hair style, his grin and his attitude never failed to remind her of her husband.

She looked at the clock. It was ten in the morning. Yoh vowed to her, a month ago, that he would be back on this very day. 'This is the day I would not miss,' as he stated and, well, yes he could not miss this day. This was a very important day for the Asakura family, and especially for the both of them.

* * *

On the other side of the earth, Yoh was panting hard.

He checked for his wounds. He had got several of them on his left arm and some on his back, and he could feel the hot blood flowing out and dropping with rhythm on his leg from his chest.

This was, by far, the most difficult battle he had ever encountered in his life. The opponent was a monster with incredible agility and enormous power when attacking its enemy. It had a lion head, rabbit ears, legs of panthers and body of a bear. He had no idea how such a creature could even exist, but well, as long as it's a mission from the Great Spirit then he had no choice but to accept.

The Shaman King looked around. As Anna had warned him of this opponent, he had brought along all the other four elemental fighters with him, but right now only Lyserg was still standing up. Ren and Chocolove had already fallen into unconsciousness, and HoroHoro was using his furyoku to build an icy wall to protect his teammate.

'Yoh-kun, on the count of three, I'll attack from the left and you do from the right.'

'Lyserg…'

'Hurry up, one, tw…'

'Lyserg.'

The Brit stopped. He looked at his Japanese friend with wide eyes. Heck, like Yoh, he wanted to finish this as soon as possible. He was more anxious than ever. And he wondered why Yoh did not want to do this quickly.

'You know…Jeanne is five-month pregnant already.'

The green-haired man startled. Of course he knew, but he did not understand why his companion brought up the subject at this very moment.

'I had to leave Anna when I turned eighteen five years ago, and when I returned to the Inn two moths later, barely alive, wounds on every inch of my body due to the "tasks" of the Great Spirit, I thought I was the happiest and the saddest man alive.

'I could never forget that night. When I returned, Anna cried for the whole evening, holding my hand, telling me how afraid and lonely she felt, and that she did not want to be a widow at the age of eighteen. That was when I found out she was already five-month pregnant with my first child, Hana.'

Lyserg nodded. As the enemy was also trying to get some rest and healed its bruises, they managed to have some time to talk.

'Judging from previous attack, his right arm was stronger than his left. If you just rushed out and try to touch it, your child will live a life without father.' Lyserg shivered. He started to think of the moment he shared with his dear wife, the way she smiled and her body warmth.

As if reading his thought, Yoh continued, 'and I miss my wife as much as you miss yours, so let's not do anything stupid, okay?' the Brit nodded. They noticed that the monster was ready for another strike, and they returned to their fighting position.

'So, I'll take its head, and you take the legs.' Lyserg said, eyeing the opponent's movement carefully.

'Deal.' Yoh aimed his sword at the creature's left leg.

'NOW!' he yelled, and they dashed towards their foe, charging with all their furyoku.

* * *

'Jeanne, you shouldn't have come without telling me.' Anna frowned. It was four in the afternoon when she answered the door, and the pregnant woman showed up. 'I could have picked you up in the airport, so that someone can help you when you get in and out of the cab.'

'Anna, it's fine.' The silver-haired girl beamed. 'I'm not that helpless.' She rubbed her stomach slowly.

'I'm not suggesting you're helpless, but…well, if you insist.' Anna gave up. She had been through this condition before and she knew sometimes pregnant women did not like to be treated like new-born baby. Pirika and Jun, who had arrived a week earlier, came out and greeted their friend.

'Pirika and Jun, it's been a long time.' The French hugged them. 'How's little Tao Xian?' Pirika smirked upon mentioning her girl. 'Well she's sleeping right now, next to Sakura-chan.' She looked at Anna, who continued. 'And Ryu had taken Hana-chan to the grocery store in the morning. He had his flute lesson today and Ryu will pick him up soon.'

'Ah, I remember little Hana likes to play with his flute,' Jun grinned, 'but I thought today was holiday for lessons?' she looked at Anna for an answer.

It was Tamao, coming out of the kitchen, who answered the question. 'Well, it should be a holiday today, but Hana insisted he wanted to have a lesson, so Anna-san made an agreement with the teacher.' The girls positioned themselves on the sofa, talking about their daily lives.

'And I have to remind him not to play so loud,' Anna kept on, 'last time he woke up at five in the morning, got bored, and played the flute so loud that it woke Sakura-chan up.' The others just laughed. 'Well,' Pirika smirked, 'as children of Yoh, they should possess of some music talents. Which instrument does Sakura-chan like?'

Anna gave her an astonished look. 'She's only one, just like your daughter, Pirika.' The itako paused for a moment, 'well, she seems to like the violin though. She looked at me with eyes wide open whenever I did some practice on it.'

While the girls continued to talk, little Hana had already entered the room. He found his mother smiling, talking happily with her friends. 'Oka-san!' he exclaimed and sat on her laps, cuddling up to her. 'Auntie Jeanne, auntie Jun, auntie Pirika and auntie Tamao! Everyone is here!'

'Wow Hana-chan, you surprised me.' Anna put him on her laps comfortably. 'And yes, everyone is here. Do you know why?'

'To celebrate Hana's birthday!' The boy beamed.

The rest just grinned at the young Asakura's boldness and cuteness. Of course it was true that they came here to celebrate with him, but it was also a routine for them to gather together at the end of the year.

'And Hana-chan, do you know what day is today too?' Jun giggled at him.

'Yes!' Hana hugged Anna's neck. Anna smiled.

'It was otou-san and oka-san's thirteenth anniversary of meeting each other!'

* * *

'Just hang on for a minute Yoh,' Ren reminded, 'we're getting nearer.'

The man named Yoh had his arm across the Chinese's shoulder to support his body while moving. The five of them were walking away from the battle scene in pace. HoroHoro and Chocolove supported an unconscious Lyserg along the way.

'Ren…what time is it…?' Ren stared at his friend, a bit startled by the randomness of the question. He checked his watch.

'Five in the afternoon.'

'Then…we better hurry…or else…'

'Or else, you wife will get mad. Yes I know, Yoh.' Ren snorted. 'But I think she'll get even more furious if she sees you like this. So that's why we're going to my mansion in China to clean ourselves up first.' The moment he finished the sentence, he could hear the sound of his private jet plane coming. 'See, we're one step closer to your precious wife.'

He got no response.

'Yoh?'

Ren turned his head and widened his eyes. Yoh's grin was gone. Ren realized that the wounds on his back started to bleed poorly.

'Oh shit…Yoh, stay awake.' He shook his body, but gravity pulled his arm towards the ground.

* * *

Anna looked at the clock. Eleven o'clock. She sighed.

They had a good day here. They organized a birthday party for Hana and invited his friends in the neighbourhood to come and the kids really had much fun. Even Anna managed to have some normal conversation with the parents. Of course, under the guidance of Asakura Anna, Hana never mentioned anything about spirits in front of humans, so he was quite popular among his little classmates.

Now that the party was over, she took the sleepy Hana to bed and stayed in the sibling's room for a while to check on Sakura and Tao Xian. Now she was sitting in the living room with Pirika, Jeanne, Jun and Tamao. Ryu had bid farewell to them and would spend the night with his gang of friends.

They waited silently and patiently. They knew well of their mission, which might cause them their lives, yet they never stopped hoping for the best, that they would all come back, alive as ever.

Suddenly, a click could be heard from the direction of the door.

The five women slowly turned their head towards the corridor, hearing intensely to the sound made. They listened carefully to the soft murmuring voices, and they could recognize the owners. They rose from their position and waited passively for the masters to enter the room. Three figures gradually appeared and Pirika and Tamao rushed to embrace their husbands and Jun gave her baby brother a big hug.

Anna and Jeanne were left in the scene, alone. She tried to sound casual. 'Where are Yoh and Lyserg?' She whispered.

The girls snapped their heads as they just realized the shaman mentioned were not in the room. 'I am asking, where are they?' the blonde raised her voice. Her body and Jeanne's started to shake.

'Anna, listen to me. Stay calm, okay?' Ren started 'Jeanne, Lyserg is fine. Right now he's staying in the hospital, waiting for Yoh.'

Anna gasped. 'What has happened?'

'Yoh's suffered a serious blow.' Chocolove went on. 'And he's been sent to the hospital to undergo some surgeries. Lyserg was there to make sure everything's alright.'

The people now could clearly see the tears running out from Anna's eyes and the flow did not seem to stop. She could not bear them anymore. The second she heard the door being opened she had already prepared herself for the worst to occur, but obviously thinking and actually happening were two different kind of things.

'Here is the address.' Chocolove handed her a note. 'The surgery will last for around six hours. By the time you got there, the doctors should have finished already.'

Without a second word, Anna nodded at them and rushed out of the house, and headed towards her destination.

* * *

Yoh blinked.

As far as he could remember, one minute ago he was still stabbing the monster with his sword. And right now he could see light flashing, from on the ceiling. He lowered his eyebrows to adjust to the environment. He was in a room, undoubtedly. He tried to look around, and found his name tagged on one side of the bed. 'Asakura Yoh, 23 years old, male…' and he understood that he was in a hospital.

Wait, if he was indeed in a hospital, so that meant…that meant they were safe! They defeated their enemy successfully! He grinned at the thought. So that meant he could return home and have some invaluable time with his wife and his two children…

He noticed something was on his left hand, and he turned around to see clearly what it was. His eyes widened at what he saw.

Anna was there, sleeping soundly, while her hands were holding firmly on his left. Yoh smiled. He used his right hand to play with her hair gently, trying not to wake her up. Yet, the slight movement already caused her to open her eyes. She blinked hard, wondering if she was dreaming or not.

'Yoh…'

'Hi.' He managed to speak softly.

'Oh Yoh, it's you.' She jumped from her position and embraced him fully. Yoh felt a sudden urge of pain on his back as Anna's weight lied on his body. 'Argh!' he yelled, and Anna quickly loosened her grip. 'Are you alright?' she added promptly. 'Yeah, I think so. The wounds still hurt though.' Her husband responded. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. Four o'clock. Judging from the darkness outside the windows, he could tell it's in the morning.

Wait. If it was four in the morning, that meant New Year's Eve had passed.

'What was today's date?' He asked, hoping that his deduction was wrong.

'First of January.' Ah, he was dead.

'So I missed Hana's birthday.'

'Yes.'

'And I missed our thirteenth anniversary.'

'Yes.'

Although the two statements he made were more of murmuring to himself than asking for a response, he still got those form his wife. And he knew his wife cared so much of these memorable dates.

'Oh Anna…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have missed it…'

Unexpectedly, Anna placed her lips on his. How much Yoh missed the familiar feeling of the kisses he shared with her wife. Unhurriedly, she broke the contact.

'It doesn't matter.' She whispered into his ears. 'The only thing that matter is that you're back.'

'How're Hana and Sakura?' He asked, wondering what had his children become after leaving home for one whole month.

'They're fine. They're quite tired from yesterday's party though. They should be sleeping at home now. Tamao and Jun will be looking after them.

'Hana will be glad to know you're back.'

'Even if I missed his birthday party yeaterday?'

'Trust me, Yoh,' she sighed, 'like father like son. He is as carefree as you do. He will appreciate it as long as you're home.'

Yoh smiled at his wife, and she returned the smile. They continued to hold each other for how long they had no idea.

The door of the room was slowly opened, and a little blonde-haired boy looked into the room. He smiled when he found out both his father and mother were there. When they turned their head to see who it was, Hana exclaimed.

'Otou-san! You're back!'

-The End-

* * *

Actually, I originally planned to have Yoh dead in the end of this fic, so it suits the song better. But I find it hard to end this series should Yoh die.

And anyway, hope you like this one. It's so far the longest chapter in this series, and I hope you won't find it too long (in other words, boring) to read.

Reviews are always welcome, no matter it's compliments/complaints/anything. I love each and every review you give!

P.S. The next story will be the last chapter of Flowers in the Window. Please stay tuned!


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